Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius
by ElfenLied619
Summary: Lucy has returned to Kohta, but still has yet to find happiness. Also, what happens when Kakuzawa sends after her one final diclonius? The only male diclonius on record. Be honest, but be kind while submitting reviews. FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Elfen Lied in any way. This is a work of ficton. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please read and submit. Now it's time to begin the story._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 1

The room sat in infinite darkness. A black veil spread to every corner, eating out every last ounce of light. It was a piercing darkness. An endless void that could penetrate the very soul, drying up all hope until only despair remains. It was also eerily silent. As if the shadows could suck out all sound from the air. It felt like death lurked inside, waiting to strike on any unsuspecting victim. Such a haunting environment would have been maddening to anyone else. But for the chambers sole occupant, it was all he had every known.

He sat calmly among the familiar shadows. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional cry of the chains that bound him to the wall as he shifted his body for better comfort. Judging by how long it had been since the florescent lights had gone out, he assumed it was some time in the late evening. He hardly ever slept. He was content to spend his evenings in the lonely, yet friendly dark.

He had spent the entirety of his life on this island research facility. Abandoned by his parents at birth, he had been subjected to torturous experiments day by day. And every evening he'd pray for death's sweet freedom. Prayed that he would fall asleep and never wake up. But as time went on, he slowly grew more and more accustomed to the conditions of his life. Now he accepted the truth of his existence. He would always suffer. That was his fate. It was the fate of all diclonius. They would never be able to find happiness. At least so long as the humans existed.

The laboratory doors on the opposite side of the room sprang to life, a small portal of light cutting through the dark veil. The door of light resembled that of the light leading one out of hell and into paradise. After a moment's stillness, the lights above flashed on, shattering the darkness in an instant. He had to squint his eyes to protect his pupils from the sudden illumination. The sound of footsteps on the tile floor began to make their way toward him. As the steps grew louder with every step, he was curious as to who would be visiting him so late at night. After all, access to him was very restricted. Whoever they were, he was certain of two things. One, they didn't sleep much either. And two, the were very, very important.

The feet came to a halt a few meters in front of him, he gingerly opened his eyes to let them adjust themselves to the light. Towering over him was the figure of an old man in an expensive looking business suit. His wrinkled body and gray hair were common for a man of his age, but it was his face that betrayed all other features. His eyes were sunken, and darker then the shadows that had previously engulfed the room. Evidence to his colder then steel soul. His skin was so tightly stretched across his face you could almost see every contour and every detail of his skull. He looked more like his skin was to small for his bones. And on his skeletal face he wore his usual demonic smile. This was the face of Director Kakuzawa.

* * *

Kakuzawa stared down at the body of Number 86. He was naked, and his skin was covered with dried blood. He never saw it necessary to provide his "subjects" with the dignity of clothing. If 86 was bothered by his exposure, he didn't show it. _Number 86_. 

"Good evening," he said in his usual piercing tone that exuded his dominance.

"Good evening...Director," 86 replied in a casual tone, as if he had come down here to strike up normal conversation.

Number 86 was an interesting specimen on so many different levels. He looked like most diclonius with his signature vectors, horned protrusions, sharp red eyes and pink hair. But 86 was very different. 86 had been a very cooperative specimen, much like Number 7. He had never retaliated against any human. And he had never resisted any of their experiments, seemingly shockingly casual about everything. But more importantly, he was the only male diclonius on record. Even more impressive, he was a _pure_ diclonius and not a silpelit. _Just like Lucy_. 86 was a miracle of evolution. Both their births were confirmation enough of humanities downfall. They were the Adam and Eve of the next phase of humanity. And Kakuzawa had been chosen to sit at the throne of God.

"I have a job I need you to do for me," Kakuzawa said getting right to the point. He hated using diversionary tactics in conversation. He was against the idea of using 86 for this mission. But now he was getting desperate.

"Oh," 86 replied nonchalantly.

"I need you to find Lucy." A smile sung its way across 86's face. He waited for a reply, but after a moment of silence he decided to continue, "She still has yet to be apprehended. Every attempt made to capture her has failed. I would like to employ your unique abilities." The smile on 86's face transformed itself into a smug expression. The Director knew 86 was enjoying his moment of helplessness. He hated the feeling as well. It was an emotion he wasn't accustomed to feeling. Normally he was the one above all others. The puppet master pulling the strings. He didn't enjoy being made to look like a fool. But 86 would not fail him. And then, he would back were he was meant to be.

* * *

Number 86 looked up into the eyes of the old man he despised. He harbored no ill will toward anyone here, despite all the misery they had put him and the others through. But Kakuzawa was different. Only a human like him could be so arrogant. He had visited him on multiple occasions, and every time he would regale him with boring tales about his future plans for the diclonius and mankind. 86 was his only true confidant. He was as deluded as he was crazy. As if he could be a God. It was only a matter of time before he would die at the hands (he laughed internally at the irony) at one of the creatures he believed he could control. 

His first impulse was to spit on his well-shined shoes. But the Director had said all he needed to say to entice 86's interest. _Lucy_. 86 had never met her personally, but he had heard enough. He remembered the first day she came her. The pressure he had felt in his head was so intense, it felt like a vice grip squeezing the fluids from his brain. Her presence felt intoxicating. He could sense it all. Her abilities, her powers, her sadness. She sounded magnificent.

Somewhere in-between his thoughts Kakuzawa had released him from the restraints chaining him to the wall. He examined his newly freed hands, as if they weren't really his own. After the truth and sank in, he rose to his feet to stand at his full height, standing eye to eye with the demon director. Then the voice came back.

_**Kill them**_, it commanded him, _**Kill them all!**_

It took nearly every ounce of mental prowess to defy it, and was soon able to quite it.

"I want you to go find her, and bring her back." He sounded almost polite in his request. The two just stood in silence, starring deep into the other eyes. Their eyes were like daggers. Two foes doing battle with their minds.

"Where is she?" 86 asked.

"Kamakura," Kakuzawa said flatly. 86 brushed his shoulder length hair out of his face then walked past the Director without a second glance. By the lab entrance stood two aids to help him in his preparations, and a small contingent of armed guards. About half way across the room, the Director called back to him.

"I trust you won't fail me," he said, adding just the faintest hint of a threat. 86's only reply was the soft clap of his bare feet against the smooth tile floor.

* * *

The cherry blossoms were in their full bloom as they sent gentle showers of pink petals on the streets and residents of the Kamakura prefecture. They fell particularly heavy in the garden of a house that had once been a traditional Japanese restaurant. The garden was a breathe of green, yellow, red, and several other colors and hues. Filled with various flowers, shrubs and bushes, decorative stones and a single cherry tree, it was easily the most beautiful part of the house. Sitting beneath the shade of the tree, her back pressed against the bark sat a young woman. 

Huddled under the tree, she was entranced by the comfort of her surroundings. The feel of the gentle breeze against her skin. The cooling shade, a protective shield from the powerful sun. And the soft, somewhat melancholy fall of the pink flowers on the grass. This was Lucy's favorite place in the whole house. Whenever Lucy was lonely, scarred or just wanted to be left to herself, she would always retreat to the sanctuary of her tree.

Here she felt calm and protected. As if the natural beauty could banish all her nightmares and memories. It had been a few months since Lucy's return to Kaede House, and to say it was awkward would have been the most profound of understatements. They were still remembering a face that no longer existed. A face of beauty and innocence, replaced by one of beauty and tragedy.

She felt so distant from everyone. Nana and Lucy's relationship had, if possible, gotten worse since she returned. There was a mutual, unspoken dislike between the two diclonius women since their duel that neither one seemed willing to let go of. She didn't like Yuka that much either. She thought Yuka was nagging, controlling, and overly emotional. The two hardly ever spoke directly anymore. Lucy never felt comfortable when Yuka was around. And Mayu, despite all her attempts to befriend her, Lucy felt nothing but a cold apathy toward her. She was also insufferably positive at times.

Even Kohta felt far away from her. Separated on different a shore, the deepest ocean between them that no one could ever hope to cross safely. Deep down she knew she didn't deserve him. But she still loved him. She loved so completely she felt she might disappear if he stopped being there. And he loved her in return.

But she didn't understand why. Here she was, the merciless killer of both his sister and father. An action born from a jealous stupor. She deserved neither his love, or friendship. Yet he was still by her side. He had forgiven her, but she still had yet to forgive herself. Her self-reproach was so intense it made her physically ill. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. Whenever he was near her, would hold her, or kiss her she was afraid. Afraid she might break him like she had done countless others. Afraid of hurting him again. Afraid of herself. It was funny. The person she loved more then even herself was with her, yet the loneliness she felt all her life was still present inside her heart. A disease, she was beginning to believe, that had no cure.

"Lucy?" His gentle call brought her out of her thoughts. To Lucy there was no greater sound. Like church bells that promised salvation to most condemned soul. He came into view, framed by the doorway that lead into the dining room, his face equipped with his usual playful smile.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked as he stepped out into the garden.

"Just relaxing," she answered back, forcing a smile.

Kohta walked over beside her and sat down next to her, his shoulder brushing smoothly against hers. Lucy felt the heat rise quickly in her face and hoped he didn't notice. _Just like during in the rain_. Kohta took his hand and gave a loving brush of Lucy's silk like hair. She felt his fingers as the ran slowly along her cranium, and over two stumps where her horns once were. They still had yet to grow back. The two just sat in mute silence, simply enjoying the presence of the other. Satisfied to be near the one they loved. Despite her fears, Lucy treasured moments like these. Every kiss, every touch, every moment they shared. She held onto them tightly, afraid they might disappear into faded illusions. Just then, a familiar voice called out from inside the house.

"Kohta, Lucy. Lunch is ready," Yuka yelled out to them. Kohta got up first, bending over to offer his hand to assist Lucy up. Lucy grabbed hold and let him forcefully bring up onto her feet. Another playful smile, and Kohta walked back through the doors, into the house, and toward the prospect of food. Lucy stood there a moment longer, running her fingers over the stumps where Kohta's fingers had been moments ago. As she made her way inside, she quietly prayed that her horns would never grow back.

* * *

Kakuzawa stood gazing out of the window of his gargantuan sized, elegantly decorated office. He stood at the top of the facility, overlooking the precipice and limitless blue horizon. He found it rather symbolic. A king at the top of the mountain, surveying his future kingdom. 

He heard the door on the far end behind him open as one of his faceless researchers walked in to stand just a few feet in front of his mahogany desk.

"Sir," the scientist said with a customary bow of respect, "Number 86 has just departed. He should be arriving in Kamakura sometime in the early morning." After 86 was released, he had been cleaned up, given clothes, briefed on his mission, and given a crash course about the outside world he had never seen. It had taken a little over a day to get him fully prepared.

Kakuzawa dismissed the man without every once turning to face him. He had to admit, things had not gone as he originally predicted. The past few months had been littered with one disappointment after the other. The escape of Lucy, the failure of the Special Assault Forces, the lose of Number 7 and 35, Kurama's betrayal. But he would remain adamant in his resolve. 86 would surely succeed where others had failed. 86 was a...unique case. He would be able to reason with her. Both he and Lucy would return, and obediently succumb to his will. Then, his dream would finally be reality. All his clever scheming and secrecy would finally produce results. Kakuzawa closed his eyes and began blissfully dreaming about the future he would forge with his own hand. But that would have to wait till Lucy and 86 returned. Until then, he would have to settle with longing day dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own Elfen Lied in any way. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this and any other stories is purely a coincidence and unintened. Please be truthful, but kind in submitting reviews._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 2

86 stood transfixed on the sandy shore, caught in the early morning glow as cold water swept against his feet. He looked out at the colors of yellow, red, and orange that were now rising out of the distance, merging night with dawn. The magnitude of its beauty was inspirational. Everything was always so much more beautiful when experiencing it for the first time. This was his first sunrise.

86 was still, listening to the echo of the waves beating themselves against the beach. He looked down to examine himself. He was now dressed in a black muscle shirt, worn out blue jeans full of holes, old brown boots, and a red bandana to conceal his horns. They had even taken further precautions to hide whatever might "single him out" by giving him colored contacts and dyeing his hair a raven black, which was tied back into a short ponytail. They had stressed the use of stealth for this mission so much he was surprised his ears hadn't bleed.

_**You shouldn't have ignored me back there...Tomo**_, the voice said.

"Don't call me that," he spat back. Tomo was the name they had finally decided to give him. He guessed they figured it would be much less conspicuous then a number. But he was not about to take on a name given to him by humans.

_**Why? It think it suits you very well**_, the voice said patronizingly. He had to admit, he felt a strange symbolic aura in the name. Like the name would reveal a much deeper meaning to it before the end.

"I still don't like it."

This voice was his only bond. He knew it wasn't real, but that held little, if not no significance. To him, it was his only friend. On the loneliest nights in that dark room, he would talk to it, and it would talk back. Offering words of solace and sympathy. But as he got older, those words turned into an urge for blood. He often wondered whether the voice was his diclonius instincts, or a creation from his own insanity.

_**You should have killed them all once you were free.**_ Tomo decide to ignore the last comment.

"Lucy is close by," Tomo said, hoping to change the subject. Tomo had wondered how he was going obtain her. He was left with a great deal of independence by Kakuzawa. As long as he captured Lucy and brought her back, he didn't care how he did it. And with a quick warning to not draw any unwanted attention, was set off on his holy pilgrimage.

How he would do this was a problem he still had yet to overcome. Detaining her would not be easy. She would obviously resist him. But he was confident he could explain things to her and convince her to comply. But how to approach her?

_**How do you plan to restrain her, **_the voice asked mirroring his exact thoughts.

"I'll think of something," he added coolly.

_**Are you looking forward to finally meeting her?**_

It wasn't surprising how well the voice could read into his mind. He wasn't just looking forward to meeting Lucy. No, that just didn't do justice to the excitement he was feeling. He had heard so much about the almighty and terrible Lucy. The presence he had felt when she was first brought to the facility three years ago was so dark it was intoxicating. He could everything about her. Her power and her suffering as if they were his own. He envisioned what an image of beauty she must be with all her hate and skill. He wasn't just looking forward to it. He was ecstatic about it.

"You have no idea."

Now motivated, Tomo put his boots back on and retied them, making sure to commit the sunrise he was passionately observing to memory. _Maybe I'll watch a few with you Lucy. _Then, he set off in search of his love.

* * *

Lucy ran as hard and fast as her sore legs would permit. She didn't know what she was running from, she only knew that whatever it was, she had to escape from it. She was surrounded on all sides by a void that obscured her senses. She didn't even know where she was running to. 

_Hey freak, _a cruelly familiar voice called out from nowhere, _You don't get it do you? You're nothing but a monster! You don't belong with anyone!_

Lucy pushed her legs harder, trying to outrun the voices tormenting her.

_Murder, _called out nameless voices from every angle. She pushed her legs harder and harder to the point of numbness. She ran until a severed torso appeared suddenly in front of her. It was the body of a young girl no older then seven, her hair tied up by a pink bow. She laid in a pool of warm blood, the last few seconds of her life immortalized on her face. Her eyes were empty and full of her last tears.

_You're the reason he suffers,_ Kanae said, her corpse stationary and unmoving. _You don't deserve him. You killed his family! YOU KILLED ME!!!_

Lucy felt a pair of hands tightly grip her shoulders and spin her around. But there was nobody there, save for the cry of a young boy.

_NO MORE!!! PLEASE STOP IT!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!!_

Lucy winched her eyes shut, trying to will the memories to vanish. When she opened her eyes again, Kanae's body had disappeared, but was replaced by something far worse. Looming before her, ready to pounce, was a figure she didn't recognize. Lucy tried to utilize her vectors, but her mind was paralyzed by fear. His aura felt like fire. As if his insides were ablaze, heat breathing through his pores burning her alive. Before Lucy could lift her gaze to his face, there was a blinding flash, a searing pain inside her head, and a bloodthirsty laughter. Then she fell into oblivion.

Lucy jolted upright in her bed so fast it made her back ache in protest. She glanced quickly from side to side to get a firm grip on her surroundings. Breathing a deep, heavy sigh of relief, she placed her palm over her face. _Just a another dream._ Her white tank top, which was a size too big for her, was soaked in her own perspiration. She had been having a lot of nightmares lately.

Her dreams were often visited by the ghost of her victims, back from death to plague her. But something else worried her this time. When she had seen that giant, she felt a faint, familiar pressure inside her head. In was only for the briefest of microseconds, just barely on the edges of her awareness. But it was so powerful. It felt like a spike being driven into her skull. She wanted to shrug it off as just sensing Nana in the house, but she would have recognized her. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. And she also wondered who that behemoth of a man was in her sleep. She was regrettably well aquatinted with the faces of those she had killed. So then who was he? And why was he in her dreams?

Lucy turned in her bed to seek the shelter of Kohta's love, only to be cruelly reminded that Kohta was not there. Kohta had offered for them to share a room, but she had politely declined his offer. As much as she wanted to accept, she just wasn't comfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with him. It wasn't because of anything he did, she was just afraid of herself. What if she somehow lose control of herself again? It was nights like this when she wished she had said yes. It was funny. Her own self torture had left a far worse impression then anything she had suffered by human hands.

Lucy rested her head back down on the pillow and pulled the covers in an attempt to get back to sleep. She doubted sleep would return to her.

* * *

By the time the first glimpses of morning filtered through the windows of Kaede house, Nana was already awake, dressed, and making her way down the wooden staircase, trying hard not to step on any squeaky steps in fear of waking the others. Nana was usually the first one up. She would wake up every morning, feed Wanta, and anything else she could do to help jump start the day. Today she thought she'd get breakfast started. She still had a lot of learning to do, but she had improved immensely. It was only recently that she had been trusted enough into the kitchen by herself. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. 

But Nana got up early for another reason as well. Before heading downstairs, she would quietly open the rooms of everyone in the house to make sure Kohta, Yuka, and Mayu were ok. And to make sure Lucy was still in her own room. Lucy's presence left Nana in an almost constant state of anxiousness. She didn't trust Lucy. Why should she? Lucy had torn her body apart, all the while pitilessly mocking her. She had slaughtered countless others without hesitation. She was a vicious animal. Plain and simple. There was nothing to trust. But Nana remained silent. Everyone seemed to genuinely seemed to like her, especially Kohta.

But Nana had to be the one to protect them. Papa had asked her to do whatever it took to be happy. Nana planned to honor that. She was determined to protect her friends from any danger. And if that meant having to fight Lucy again at one point, then so be it. Nana was finally happy, and Lucy would not destroy that.

As Nana entered the kitchen, she decide that she have another try at making a "traditional" Japanese breakfast. Or at least that was what Mayu and Yuka had called it. Nana carefully went over the steps again in her head before starting, making sure to not make a mistake. Several of her attempts at cooking had ended in her food being burnt or inedible, with Mayu or Yuka always coming to fix her mess. After systematically studying the steps and double checking twice, she started. She went and pulled out a clean pot from under the stove, paused, then went to filled it up with water. She looked like a child who was going through a critical exam in home economics at school.

Nana heard the door open and close behind her. She didn't need to turn to see who it was. Only one person could open a door so darkly.

"Good morning Lucy," Nana said simply out of good manners. Lucy ignored her greeting, walking straight for the counter, grabbing a fresh apple out of a bowl of fruit, then walking back out of the kitchen. _Nice to see you too! _Before turning her attention back on the rice, Nana decided she was not going to let her guard down today.

* * *

It was still early morning, yet the sidewalks had already filled with throngs of people moving into their daily routines. Thick groups of people standing shoulder to shoulder as shops opened, businesses began their work day, and traffic littered the streets with wails of horns. Tomo walked briskly amongst the compact crowds with no destination, taking right and left turns every couple of blocks. As he did so, he keep tossing in and out ideas on how to capture Lucy, each plan more absurd then the previous. This was more difficult then Tomo had originally anticipated. 

Getting Lucy to return with him was going to be one thing, but he also had to find her first. While his natural abilities to sense her could tell him if she was near, they couldn't exactly provide a direct map to her location. Especially while suppressing his own essence from Lucy. It was a little trick he learned at the facility. He had the ability to mask his own diclonius aura. The only problem was that doing so interfered with his own ability to sense others of his race.

Also, he had recently sensed that Number 7 was here as well. Apparently she had survived her encounter with Number 35. This was rather unexpected. And from the pressure in his brain, she was with Lucy. She could be troublesome. He could try to get her to come with him also. But what if she resisted? Number 7, or so he had heard, was rather fond of humans. Things were starting to become increasingly more difficult.

"You wouldn't have any ideas would you," he jokingly asked the voice.

_**You could kill a few people to pass the time.**_ Tomo instantly scolded himself for asking. He should have known better by now.

"And what exactly would that accomplish?"

_**It would be fun.**_

"I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile. Besides, we've had his talk too many times before." It was Tomo's belief that diclonius were meant to surpass the humans, but in a rather different way. He believed that they were meant to out breed them with seer numbers. While silpelits infected carriers with the vector virus, he and Lucy would give birth to pure diclonius. And then they would have children. And the cycle would continue until the diclonius outnumbered the humans. To Tomo, using vectors to kill was an insult to their original purpose.

"If I keep killing humans, how will we sustain our numbers over them? We need them as carriers." _At least for now._

_**Awwww. Just one quick one.**_ An invisible hand shot out from Tomo's back and instantly targeted a random pedestrian. Mere inches from lopping them in halve, Tomo restrained his vectors and withdrew them back into hi body.

"I SAID NO!!! We don't want any unwanted attention." Tomo turned to his right and began walking down a deserted alley way, filthy with an odorous dumpster overflowing with trash, a rusty fire escape, and moldy brick walls on both sides of him. The morning light did not fully reach this ally, casting it into a halve shade of night.

"What I need to do is think of a plan to deal with Lucy and Number 7," Tomo pleaded, hoping the voice might come up with an idea. Before the voice to give a reply, a new and unfamiliar voice called out from behind him.

"HEY, FREAK BOY!!!" Tomo heard the hard stomp of a foot in a nearby puddle of water behind him and the unmistakable cocking of a firearm. Tomo turned, irritated at being interrupted during his thoughts. He confidently faced his challenger, knowing well that no human or diclonius could defeat him. The man was brandishing what looked like a normal human 9 mm pistol, aiming straight for Tomo's head. His face was contorted in an idiotic grin, his eyes obscured by sunglasses. He was tall and of wide build. His hair was a short light brown color, and was just a hint untidy. His clothes were covered with sporadic dirt spots and stains. He appeared to be a well dressed homeless man then anything.

"Now tell me, what the hell was with those fucking hands of yours?"

* * *

Bandoh sat on a street bench taking one last drag of his cigarette before tossing it aside. _Shit! That's my last one for a while too. _Ever since his last fight with Lucy, he had been living off his savings he had built up from his years in Special Assault. He continued to live in his makeshift home of abandoned crates down by the beach, spending money only for food and the occasional pack of cigarettes. 

"Man, I want some real fucking food," he thought aloud as he took an aggressive bite into a pack of crackers he bought earlier, "Like some beef or something."

As Bandoh sat in the same dirty clothes he had been in since his last fight, he realized just a pathetic he looked.

"This is all that fucking bitches fault!" After she had left him on the beach that night, Bandoh had once again been fortunate enough to have been spotted by some random passer-by and taken to a local hospital. After he was healed and his robotic limbs repaired (which nearly depleted his account) he vowed he wouldn't leave this shit hole town until he found that bitch and killed her. Until then, he'd bury his pride and live this meager existence. If he eventually had that bitches head, then it'd all be worth it.

It wasn't just the fact that she had beaten him on two separate occasions, or the fact that she had the nerve to let him live each time. It was what she brought out in him the last time they fought. As she stood triumphantly over his pain racked body, the same dark expression in her eyes, for the first time in his life, Bandoh had felt fear.

The first time he had faced the possibility of death with words of vengeance. Even after having his eyes gouged out he remained unafraid. But the last time, as he thought she was about to finish him off, he felt like begging. Pleading for her to spare his pathetic life. He wanted to cry like a baby. She had exposed something in him he didn't think he had in himself. Weakness.

As Bandoh finished the last sleeve, he got up to dispose of the wrappers into a garbage bin, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a familiar, transparent arm. Thinking he finally found her, he quickly went for the gun he keep in his inner jacket pocket. Hands on the grip, ready to strike, he turned to face his enemy. But it wasn't Lucy.

From the bodily structure, it had to be a boy. Bandoh starred at his back as he recoiled his vectors. He even had a bandana on to hide his freaky horns. _No doubt about._ He then proceeded to follow him, making sure to keep at least two meters between them. What as a monster like him doing out among humans? Whatever the reason, after months of searching, he finally had a possible lead as to were that bitch might be hiding. As the boy turned down an alley way, Bandoh knew this was his chance. He drew his weapon, took careful aim, and made his challenge.

"HEY, FREAK BOY!!!" By the uninterested look he gave him as he saw the gun pointed in his face, any doubts Bandoh might have had were instantly vaporized.

"Now tell me, what the hell was with those fucking hands of yours?" He didn't reply.

"I'll bet that bandana is hiding a pair of horns aren't they?" Again, all he did was continue to stare. He looked like he had been stopped by some annoying pest rather then a beast bound for retribution.

"ANSWER ME YOU FREAK!!!" He knew it probably wasn't the best idea to provoke this potential threat, but he had built up a lot of frustration that needed to burst free. Bandoh tightened his grip out anger at being ignored, hoisting it threateningly further in hopes of coaxing a response.

"You must be joking right?" he finally said.

"What," Bandoh answered back, confused by his meaning.

"Obviously you know what I am and what I'm capable of. And with that knowledge do you seriously think you can intimidate me with something as crude as a gun?"

Bandoh stifled a small snicker. "Normally no. But this ain't no average gun here. It has a custom made tungsten bullet. And I don't think your arms will deflect it." He added that last part with a mocking confidence. That runt from the beach hadn't been able to stop these babies, so he shouldn't be able to either. _Lucky me I still have some of these left over._

"Care to test that theory?" He held the same poise and assured stature the others had faced Bandoh down with. Those same black hole like eyes. Empty and threatening. Bandoh vowed not to be beaten by those eyes ever again.

"Your funeral." Bandoh took perfect aim and pulled the trigger.

It was all instantaneous. There was a deafening bang that echoed throughout the walls of the back alley. The bullet flew toward its victim with lightening speed. To fast for any eye to follow. And a mere few inches from the center of his forehead, the bullet was stopped by an invisible wall. Bandoh's face grew wide with shock.

"But...how?" The bullet continued to hover in place. They both stood still as a pair of statues in silence. A frozen picture in time until, a few seconds later, the heavy bullet fell to the concrete ground with a ringing clang.

"Oh, too bad. Looks like your precious gun is useless," he said with the condescending tone of a parent talking to a ignorant child. Bandoh prepared to try again, but with equal lightening speed, the gun was wrenched from his hands, floating overhead out of his reach. The crunching sound of metal, and soon the gun was nothing more then a broken chunk of metal.

"So what are you going to do now," he challenged, an evil smirk curving his lips. Bandoh's body went tense, ready to duel with his own hands should the situation call for it.

"I' d like to ask you a few questions," he said calmly.

"Oh yeah like what?" Bandoh spat fiercely back at him.

"You can see my vectors yes?" He didn't continued to sound calm despite Bandoh's rude reply.

"What about it?" Bandoh wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Interesting. You wouldn't by any chance have seen another diclonius around here? A girl perhaps?" he asked with a confident grin.

"YOU KNOW THAT BITCH?!?!" Bandoh faces once again became scrunched with fury. Immediately after he said this, the other mans face grew an even wider smile. He seemed pleased about something that had been said. He started walking an even pace toward Bandoh. Bandoh took his fighting stance, preparing himself for any sudden movements of attack. But the man just walked quietly past him before turning back around to face Bandoh once again.

"Why don't take a walk and have a little chat?" he said politely, gesturing an arm toward the busy streets. Cautiously, Bandoh accepted his invitation.


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this and any other existing stories is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews._

* * *

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 3

As the inhabitants of Kaede house ate their breakfast, they left the door to the garden wide open to allow the summer gale to cool the room. It felt very relaxing as the wind washed over their bodies, bathing them in a lazy comfort. An early chorus of chirping birds and chitterling insects wafting in the air added to the overall tranquility. Everyone (with the exception of Lucy) was eating vigorously the meal Nana had been generous enough to prepare. The others had always been a little heedful when it came to Nana's meals. But they always ate them anyway so as not to injure her confidence. For one of her meals, it wasn't half-bad. Sure the miso soup was a bit salty and the rice a little dry. But still, all in all, a well hearted attempt.

They all ate in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Nothing needed to be said. It was just one of those moments when words were unnecessary. So they just sat, eating quietly, enjoying each others company. Anyone seeing such a sight would have thought it to be a pleasant scene. A happy family, sharing its morning meal together.

While Kohta was devouring his meal, he felt a measure of excitement rise in the bowels of his stomach like a maelstrom. Even he had to admit the idea was ingenious. He was surprised he hadn't thought about it earlier. For the past several weeks he had been brain storming over a place he and Lucy could visit together. Get a little personal time together. Then suddenly, after drawing countless blanks, he was hit randomly by inspiration. He allowed himself a moment of narcissistic pride for his own cleverness. _She's going to be so surprised._

It was very hard for him to get Lucy out of the house for almost anything. Hell, it was hard enough to get her out of her room sometimes. And whenever he succeeded, she remained in a stoic state for a majority of the time, hanging her head and never looking anyone in the eye. She looked more like someone walking toward the gallows. But Kohta was confident that this trip would be enjoyed by the both of them.

Kohta finished the last remaining specks of food left on his plate, then promptly stood up and proceeded to walk toward the kitchen, keen to finish clean up as quickly as possible.

"You look like your in a good mood this morning," Mayu happily noticed. Kohta wasn't surprised. He did feel like there was a little more spring in his step today.

"Guess I just slept well," he replied with a broad smile. Things couldn't have been going better for Kohta even if he tried. He had his surrogate family back together, he had Lucy by his side, and he had just finished his first year of college (albeit just barely). The days when regret had filled his daily hours seemed a life time ago. Far and distant from the present, no longer able to harm him. Everyday now was like a dream, living the normal carefree life so many reached for. Dream he prayed he'd never wake up from. Finally, the world was right again.

After washing his dishes rather haphazardly, Kohta darted for the staircase and jogged up them two at a time. As he reached the door to Lucy's room at the top of the landing, he could barely hold back his excitement as he gently knock on her door.

"Lucy, you awake," he half whispered, not fully sure if she was still asleep or not. He heard a ruffling of feet on the other side and was soon greeted by her as she opened the door.

"Yes," Lucy said in her neutral tone. Not that she was ever an overflowing pool of emotion, but something about her seemed more subdued then usual. Her eyes clouded with some secret. _I wonder if something's wrong. _Deciding not to worry about it, Kohta quickly pushed the concern from his mind. _It's probably nothing. _If only he knew how wrong he was.

"Hurry up and get dressed. I got a surprise for you," he stated, and upbeat finality in his voice.

"What is it," she asked, not sounding overly thrilled.

"It's a secret," he said playfully with a wink.

"No thanks." Lucy started to shut her door when Kohta quickly brought his hand to halt it from closing fully as he looked pleadingly into her crimson eyes.

"Please, I promise you'll like it," Kohta begged. Kohta looked straight at her, putting on the most sympathetic face he could muster. Lucy's cheeks started to blush, and he knew he was winning. _She can't resist the face. _Finally conceding defeat, Lucy sighed.

"Alright, I'll be out in a few minutes." Kohta smiled in his victory, admiring her beauty as she shut the door behind her. Kohta listened to the clattering of plates as Yuka and the other girls cleaned up their own dishes down stairs. His face grimaced slightly, as he thought about the lecture Yuka was sure to give his ears once he came home.

Kohta hadn't told anyone he was planning on taking Lucy out for the day, not wanting the possibility of ruining the surprise. So he would be leaving the others rather unexpectedly with a great deal more chores for them. He felt a little guilty about that. Yuka would not doubt be furious with him leaving without a word prior, making sure to chew him out. But she'd get over it eventually. She always did. And if Mayu or Nana were by some chance bothered by it, they wouldn't show it. So Kohta wasn't feeling too bad about it.

Lucy came back out a few minutes later, dressed in a black T-shirt and matching pants. Kohta stood again, starring at her radiance that was so thick that it could make angels look on in jealousy. It always amazed him that even in the most simple of clothes, Lucy always looked stunning to him.

"What is it," she asked when he hadn't said anything. Her words bringing him back to reality, Kohta shook his head free of daydreaming.

"Nothing," he said, his face blushing. With that, he grabbed her by the hand, and escorted her out the front door. Yuka and the others didn't even noticed they had left.

* * *

"Are you shitting me?" Bandoh could hardly believe what he had just heard. Apparently, this guy was called "Tomo" and he had been sent here by that old science lab he used to work for to exterminate that bitch Lucy. What was even more surprising, he had just requested Bandoh's assistance in his mission. They both sat on empty crates in Bandoh's makeshift residence by the beach shore as the midday sun beat them down hard with its powerful rays overhead. Bandoh could smell the salty air coming from the sloshing water just a few feet away.

None of this made a damn bit of sense. Why was this dude be willing to kill one of his own kind so freely? He thought they were all "buddy buddy". But then again, Bandoh had not really been the type willing to sort out mercy to other humans either. And why did this horned freak want his help? As far as he had experienced, these, "diclonius" he thinks they're called, weren't exactly friends with humanity.

"I assure you I am very serious," Tomo said.

"And why should I help you..._ponytail_," Bandoh shot at him. Tomo never lost his calm composure, unfazed by Bandoh's choice nickname.

"Because it will give you a chance for retribution," he answered plainly, "What more reason could you need then that?" Bandoh stroked his chin, considering this unlikely proposal. He never did like working with others. All they ever did was slow him down and take the fun out of everything. But twice he had faced Lucy, and twice he had been soundly defeated. _Maybe a little back up wouldn't hurt._

"If you need more incentive, I can see that you are well compensated for your efforts," Tomo added, "Enough to free you of this derelict lifestyle you've sunken into."

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS," Bandoh yelled at him. "How do even I know I can trust you," he retorted.

"You don't," Tomo replied matter-o-factly, mischievously smiling. The tension between these two unlikely allies seemed to mount in the growing silence. "But then again, I don't know if I can trust you either...and that makes it more interesting doesn't it?" After another momentary silence, Bandoh started laughing hysterically, shattering the tension like glass.

"HA HA HA HA!!! You know what, I like your style ponytail."

"I take it we have an agreement," Tomo asked assuredly.

"On two conditions," Bandoh said, now getting serious. "One, I'm the one who gets to kill that bitch. You just help me if I need it," Bandoh waited for some kind of resistance or words of dissent. When they never came, he continued. "And two, when it's all over, I want to keep her eyes as trophies," Bandoh declared with a psychotic look in his own eyes. He waited for Tomo's answer. Tomo just starred and smiled a friendly grin, as if this were the most casual request.

"Done," he said simply. Bandoh was rather shocked at how easily he had gotten what he wanted.

"To our alliance," Tomo said as he extended his hand for Bandoh, "And maybe even friendship.

_Don't count on it you fucking freak, _Bandoh thought as he shook Tomo's hand violently. "Yeah...maybe."

"Well then," Tomo said as he got up, brushing the dirt from his jeans, "I'll be leaving now then."

"Wait, what about th-" Bandoh interjected before Tomo cut him off.

"Don't worry. Once I need you I'll come here to find you, but till then just stay here. And keep out of trouble"

Bandoh gritted his teeth in anger, but crossed his arms and remained silent. He hated being ordered around. Especially by one of these horned bastards. After a quick bow, Tomo left for the city behind them. As Bandoh watched Tomo's form grow smaller and smaller in the distance, he imagined what the look on that bitches face would be when she saw him again.

"I'm coming for ya bitch," he said to himself, "And let me tell ya, were going to have one hell of a party."

* * *

"That was almost too easy," Tomo laughed when the mercenary was out of ear shot. It appeared humans were just a gullible as they were arrogant.

_**Yes, humans consumed by thoughts of revenge tend to be the easiest to manipulate**_, the voice agreed.

"You said it. All you have to do is mention the name of the person they're after, and pretty soon they think it's all their idea."

Tomo had been strangely fortunate. Just when he was having difficulties forming a plot to find Lucy, fate had delivered to him a scapegoat. After that, the pieces to his mysterious puzzle all fell perfectly into place. He now had a plan. It was so simple, Tomo mentally chastised himself for not thinking of it earlier.

Once he knew Bandoh had met Lucy before, the whole scheme had miraculously formed inside his mind with equally alarming speed. "This is going to be fun."

Tomo wandered through the jungle of steel buildings and concrete sidewalks, looking down every alley and crevice of the streets. Finally, he found a small abandoned shop hidden in the shadows. He glanced quickly from side to side making sure he was not being watched. Feeling secure, Tomo forced his way into the old business, floors covered in dust, mold, and reeked from years of neglect. Tomo walked into one of the back rooms, moving aside a few scattered pieces of old broken furniture. He found a small free space of wall and leaned his back against it, sliding down into a sitting position.

He sighed, removing his bandana to reveal his horns. What he had to do next, he was not looking forward to.

"I have to lose my horns," he said to no one, "Lucy cannot suspect me of being a diclonius yet. She may get...suspicious, and getting her to come along with me will be a lot harder."

_**This is going to hurt**_, the voice advised, but made no further objections.

Tomo extended one of his vectors out from his back, feeling with his physical hands for the ideal spot to cut, so as his hair could hide the stump. He breathed in deeply for a few minutes, preparing his mind and body for what would surely be a paining more piercing then thousands of daggers. He clenched his eyes tightly, then launched his vector at top speed.

As vector met bone, it sent a ringing throughout his ear that quickly vibrated through his entire body. It blinded all his other senses, blurring them in a whirlwind of confusion. Tomo let out an acid yell, collapsing to the floor unconscious before he had even finished his scream. He hit with a hard thud the sounded all over the empty room, his face dripping with fresh blood onto the dirty floor. Luckily, no one outside heard a thing. The sounds of their daily lives muffling out everything.


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 4

Lucy stood still, her jaw gapping in awe. The sight she saw before her was enough to steal her breath out of her lungs. The entrance was a floodgate of people coming in and out. Many of which were parents with their tiny children, or young couples walking arm in arm, or hand in hand. From inside, she could make out the roars, howls, and cries of several different creatures. Above the entrance hung a huge wooden sign, decorated with fancy lettering, framed by stampeding animals toward the onlookers. This was the threshold to the Kamakura Zoo.

"Well...what do you think," Kohta asked. Lucy was rooted to where she was standing, unable to speak or move. After so many years, Lucy still remembered this place clearly inside her minds eye. She remembered it right down to the most minuscule of details. To others, this zoo would have seemed commonplace. To Lucy, it was so much more. It was here she had been her happiest. This place held the memories she still turned to in her darkest hours, when all the world seemed desolate. Seeing this place again, her heart was crowded with something she hadn't felt for a long time.

Lucy felt something wet slowly slide down the side of her face. A tear. Lucy hadn't cried in so long. Since she didn't know when. Lucy brought a hand up to wipe it away. She had even started to believe that she was empty of tears, unable to cry ever again. But this wasn't a tear of regret. Nor was it born of sadness. No, this was a tear of rapture and of gratification.

"Is something wrong," Kohta asked, sounding concerned.

"I just...I mean..." Lucy was unable to find the words to express exactly what she was feeling. She was holding back the rush of emotion welling up in her, trying hard not to make a scene.

"Come on. We have a lot to see," Kohta said, seeming to understand. He lead her into the zoo, putting a loving arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. And Lucy gave herself fully over to his protective embrace. For the first time in months, Lucy's face formed what could almost be seen as a half smile.

* * *

The irritating sounds of chattering crowds and honking horns that came from the outside did little to help alleviate Tomo's splitting head pain. His back against the wall, hands clasped hard over his stumps that had once been his horns, he was trying hard to force back the hurt. He looked at the floor where his blood had stained it. He didn't know how long he had been out, but immediately after he regained consciousness, he proceeded to chopping off his second horn, ignoring the nausea in his belly. Experienced and anticipating the pain now, he had not fallen victim to its trauma. This was not helpful however, because now he didn't have unconsciousness to numb and relieve him of pains full force. 

He sat there inside the dingy gray room, his face painted with his own blood, feeling sick and weary. Hours passed by like an eternity. As he waited for the pain to pass over him, he went through his plan over, and over, and over again in his aching head. It was so elegant in its simplicity that it almost seemed complicated.

He had to draw Lucy out of wherever she was hiding if he was to find her. So to lure her out, he would have to allow her to sense him for the briefest moment. Hopefully she would come to investigate, and when she arrived, there the mercenary would be, ready to extinguish her life. The two would fight, and at the last minute Tomo would intervene and save Lucy. And then the mercenaries role would be finished. Tomo smirked as he imagined what the face on that stupid mercenary would be like when he was eventually disposed of. It had been rather interesting that he could see the vectors, but that thought was only of mild curiosity.

That should certainly be enough then to earn Lucy's trust. Then he'd find some way to stay with her, observe, and wait for the opportune moment to act. Tomo had the funny feeling that Lucy was with humans, and was certain she was with Number 7. But who she was living with made little difference. They might even prove themselves useful in some way. But they may prove themselves to be an obstacle as well. The mystery to it all only stirred Tomo's interest in the matter.

However, there was a giant gap that needed to be mended. Lucy would have to sense him, and that might put her on the alert of another diclonius. Lucy had proven in the past that she had something of trust issues. She would undoubtly know who had sent him and why. And Tomo couldn't hide his horns forever. If he didn't want Lucy to suspect him, then he'd have to make a little sacrifice.

_**How are you feeling**_, the voice asked.

"I've been better," Tomo said bitterly, thinking it was a dumb question. Of course he wasn't feeling ok. He had just decapitated his own two horns. Definitely not a pleasant experience. If the physical pain wasn't bad enough, the hurt to his pride was worse.

"I just hope my horns will eventually grow back," he wished while trying to seize the cramping with a another tight hold.

_**You should not have done that**_, the voice criticized, _**Your horns were a proud marking. A blessing from God that you are a chosen one. You should have worn them with honor. You should have--**_

"It can't be helped," Tomo interjected, "Lucy can't know I'm a diclonius. Not yet anyway." Of course Tomo knew he'd have to reveal himself to Lucy eventually, that much was certain. But he could only do that once he was sure Lucy would listen to him. Once he was able persuade her to join him.

_**So what do we do now?**_

"Next we find out where Lucy is hiding." Tomo was fairly sure Lucy was with Number 7 and some other humans, but he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes before he planned anything further.

"But after my head stops splitting," Tomo grunted, feeling another sharp pinch. He grabbed down on his stumps harder, trying to hold down onto the pain and quell it. He really wished he had one of those pills (Aspirin he thinks) that humans take when they get a headache. Tomo felt some vomit begin to rise in his throat and forced in back into his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so awful. Nothing at the lab had ever made him feel this bad, both physically and mentally.

Another pang inside his brain. Seconds later, Tomo shot straight up onto his feet, forgetting the burning, sickly sensation his body was feeling. Tomo ran for one of the boarded up windows that overlooked the street outside. The pain he felt had almost caused him to miss it, to shrug it off as another side effect of losing two horns simultaneously. But Tomo now recognized this feeling. It was the feeling he felt when sensing another diclonius nearby.

_Lucy_.

_**She is near**_, the voice chimed in. Tomo told the voice to be quiet, even though only he could hear it.

"I know that." His eyes darted to every corner of the street for any sign of pink hair or a pair of horns. Then, just as it rounded the end of the block on the far end of the street, Tomo saw a wave of pink hair flutter in the wind. Tomo jogged out of the forsaken shop, abandoning any concern for how he looked to others. He turned the corner and saw her. A girl with silk like pink hair walking intimately arm in arm with some boy. He knew this girl to be Lucy. There was no mistaking this signature he was feeling. But then where were her horns?

_**Strange**_, the voice said, _**She has no horns.**_

"Yes. Very strange indeed," Tomo agreed. He looked on as the two walked unnaturally close to each other. Tomo began to feel a heat of jealousy rise in his gut. His face twisted to match his dark emotion.

_**Perhaps this is not Lucy**_, the voice proposed.

"No," Tomo insisted, "It is her." Tomo began to trail their every step, making sure to suppress himself and keep a good even two meters distance between them. The two seemed too engrossed in the other to noticed that they were being followed. The heat in Tomo's gut rose a few more degrees as he continued to watch. He didn't like how close these two were walking together. Not one little bit.

_**Calm yourself**_, the voice advised him, _**You must not let your emotions get the better of you. **_Tomo continued on, pretending not have heard what the voice said. With every heartfelt glance she gave the boy, Tomo felt his temperature rise more and more till it could have rivaled that of a volcano. He followed them, down several streets, up some great stone step, and finally to a giant house surrounded by a giant wall. After the two had entered, he lingered by the outer door of the house listening for how many voices were inside.

He couldn't hear the details of their conversations, but he heard five distinct voices, and the barking of one dog. _Oh yeah, this day just keeps getting better and better. _Tomo loved it when he was right.

Satisfied, Tomo made his way back the way they had came, memorizing every step and any landmarks that might help him find this place again. Once at the elongated steps, which overlooked the entire city and shore line, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed.

"I think its time to get everything set up," he said under his breath, putting the receiver to his ear, listening to the line begin to ring.

* * *

Kakuzawa still stood in front of his window, looking out at the limitless ocean, the setting sun casting a haunting glow on the water. He looked as is he had turned to stone, not appearing to have moved an inch since the last time someone saw him. Kakuzawa always spent most of his time observing the sea and its alluring horizon. It reminded him so much of himself. A calm, collected thing by nature. Slowly moving along with the tides of events. Always changing its form to fit its environment. It was adaptive. Yet to one foolish enough to underestimate it, was a crushing torrent without mercy or limitation. A force that encompassed most of the world and that no one could surpass. It was powerful. Clear and sparkling, it looked like melted diamonds. It was pure. Mix these attributes together, and it was like looking into the eyes of God himself. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. 

He felt a silent rumble from inside his suit pocket and withdrew a small black handheld phone. He flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Yes," he said coolly, already knowing who it was. Only one person had access to his private line and the current moment.

"I need a few things," the voice on the opposite line said. Neither one seemed to be wasting time with formalities or friendly greetings. It was straight to business.

"I assume you have found her," Kakuzawa asked hopefully.

"Yes, but I need some things first," Number 86 replied professionally. 86 spent the next several minutes explaining the contents of his plan to Kakuzawa, while he intently listened, nodding his head in interest every few minutes and a cold smile growing bigger and wider.

"Very impressive my boy. It seems I did the right thing by sending you," Kakuzawa complimented, "You have learned from me well." There was a long silence before Number 86 spoke again.

"Yes," he said rather dully.

"I'll send you anything you need." After the equipment to be sent had been agreed upon, and deciding on the details of the drop off, both men simultaneously, and abruptly ended the call. He placed the phone back in his pocket, then walked toward his chair and pressed a red button on his public phone line which was sitting on his desk.

"Yes Director," his secretary answered promptly. Like a well trained dog being called by its master.

"Send her up," he commanded.

"Yes sir," she said before a click severed the connection. Resuming his kingly pose, he starred out his window, admiring the beauty of the view. After a few minutes of silence, the door behind him opened timidly as Doctor Arakawa entered.

"You wanted to see me," she said, her posture fidgety. It was plain to see by anyone's standards that she wasn't exactly comfortable about being in here with him.

"I did," he said suggestively. Never had the utterance of such a simple reply sounded so ominous. He turned to face her, seeing the features of her delicate face framed by glasses, which magnified the size of her eyes. He observed her slender figure from under the white lab coat she was wearing. His imagination was running wild laps with perverted fantasies. She was very beautiful. Despite his own reservations for what was to be done, he knew, at the very least, it would be very enjoyable.

He walked toward her, a cold expression behind his eyes, her body becoming ever more tense with every echo of his feet. She tried, and failed, to hide her elevating fear as he drew closer. He relished in her fear. He breathed it deeply into his very core, extracting life from it. He loved it when others were intimidated by his presence. As they should be. But when they tried to hide in some frivolous show of nerve was when he loved it most.

He now stood a few inches in front of her, looming over her with an expression colder then the devils. He simply gazed down at her a moment. Then he strode straight past her, right for the ornate door from which she entered.

"Um...sir, do you think it'd be ok if I take a bath soon," she asked tentatively, not sure how he'd react to such a request. The only answered she received was the wail of the deadbolt tightening, locking them both in. He turned slowly to face her again, a smirk across his old face. He ignored her question, walking a dangerously slow pace back to her while removing his jacket, undoing his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt.

Arakawa's mind was doing flip flops, unable to fully process the sight she was seeing. She wanted to back away from him, but her legs had turned to stone. Immobile, and fixed to the spot.

"I told you my plans for you were just beginning," he said with malice. He reached her, his wrinkled torso now fully exposed, placing a tender hand on her shoulder and guiding her off to a couch to the right. Arakawa's mind and body seemed to be out of synch with each other. Despite her best attempts to resist, her body gave itself over to his will completely. She wanted to scream, but they became trapped in her throat. Kakuzawa genteelly forced her complacent body down onto the couch as he undid the rest of his clothing, revealing himself fully to her.

A moist tear began caressing itself down Arakawa's cheek. Finally, he removed his wig of hair that covered his bald head, and his two horns. He could see her face twisted in muted terror.

"Do not worry," he consoled as he climbed on top of her, starting to remove her coat, "It will be over soon."


	5. Chapter 5

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews. AND DON'T forget to vote. For more details see "Message to readers"._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 5

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Sitting up in her bedroom, she deeply searched the achieves of her memory for anything that might remotely have been as enjoyable as today was. But nothing turned up that could compare. Ironically enough, the only other time she felt such amusement was when Kohta brought her to the same zoo those many years earlier. She now laid in her bed, as her legs screamed at her in dissent. They had walked around the zoo for a majority of the day, admiring many different species of animals. They saw lazy lions as they basked in the shade of trees, primates who humorously imitated their guest, and several others. They ate shaved ice in the later parts of the afternoon when the sun was at its highest, and even managed to cool off at creek they visited the last time they came. Words were unable to express the overwhelming gratitude Lucy was feeling toward Kohta. It had been the best day she had in a long while. But, as Lucy should have expected, it was too good to last long.

The joy she felt immediately faded into sinking feeling the moment they arrived back home. Yuka had been eagerly waiting for them, and pounced on Kohta for his "negligence" and "irresponsibility". Lucy could here her from downstairs as she continued to nag and scold Kohta for all the housework he left her and the girls with. _What are you his mother_, Lucy thought. She tried to block out Yuka's irksome yelling, holding close to her chest the gray stuffed elephant Kohta bought for her at one of the many zoo's souvenir stands. Her favorite part of their trip to the zoo had to be the elephants. She didn't understand why, but she always liked these massive behemoths best. Their dominating size, their long trunks, their tusks. They always fascinated her and, it surprised her to think such a thought, believed them to be...cute. While there, she wondered if these elephants they were seeing might by some chance be the cubs of the ones she saw before.

But at one point there, Lucy's minded strayed into darker thoughts. Seeing these animals caged while others gawked at them in amusement, she was reminded of her own personal cage back at that island hell. Spending her days bound and restrained while being poked and probed in scientific experiments. Thinking like that, maybe there wasn't much difference between herself and these creatures. Did they really deserve to be locked up? She shocked the depressing idea quickly from her mind. But now that she was home, listening to Yuka complain, the thoughts came rushing in.

She looked down at her new stuffed toy, realizing that its tusks reminded her of something. They looked like they could be something else. Horns. Tossing the toy aside, Lucy pulled her pillow to cover her ears in a desperate attempt to block out Yuka's voice.

* * *

Yuka wasn't furious, though her constant stream of shouting said otherwise. That word wasn't enough to describe what Yuka was feeling. If she was furious, then she would have cared about all the chores Kohta neglected today. Which of course she didn't. In truth, she wasn't bothered by the fact of all the cleaning he had left for her and the others. They could handle that easily enough. So then why was she so upset with him? Because, more then anything, she had been hurt. Yes that would have been a much more accurate term to use. All this day had done to her was cruelly remind her of what she already knew to be truth. Kohta had made his choice. And much to her despair, it wasn't her.

"Why didn't you at least tell us you were going somewhere," she chastised, her arms crossed and stare sharp. Yuka knew she was overreacting to the situation, but couldn't help it. This was how she let out all this feeling. Instead of saying exactly what she was feeling, she had always expressed herself when she was upset through nagging, nit picking, and an increased work ethic. It just more often then less that the nit picking was directed at Kohta. At least this way she'd have a connection with him. This was how she dealt with the disease known as heartache. He never did things with her anymore. He barely ever spoke to her. And things had been going so well the last few months.

Back then, she truly believed that her relationship with Kohta had really gotten somewhere. They finally had the opportunity to grow together, and to become more then mere cousins. And for the all too brief time they had, she thought they did. Then it was all shattered to pieces. _She _had to come back. Yuka was disgusted to admit it, but she would have been lying if she said she wasn't happy on some level that Nyuu was gone. Now she felt a part of her heart wither every time he gave Lucy that loving smile she one day hoped would be reserved for her. And something about Lucy seemed off.

Yuka couldn't explain it, but she could still see it in her eyes. Hear it in her voice. Ever since she returned, Yuka thought there was something seriously wrong with this girl. Kohta had done some serious explaining when Lucy came back, but Yuka felt he wasn't telling her the whole truth about the situation. She sensed she was the only one out of the loop, because even Mayu and Nana seemed to know more about Lucy then she herself did. She hated the feeling of being left out and of isolation it brought.

Kohta starting make another wild attempt to calm Yuka's rising temper. She looked on into his pitifully sorrowful face feeling guilty for lecturing him. No matter how infuriated she was at him, he always had a look and way about him that could make her melt in his fingers. _Damn, how does he do it? _Yuka sighed heavily, giving up on reprimanding him further. She assumed he'd had enough.

"Just don't let it happen again ok," she concluded, keeping her stern tone as she turned on her heels to enter her room. Sitting on her bed, she began to feel ashamed for yelling at Kohta and for every guilty emotion she felted toward Lucy. Lucy was after all her friend. More or less. And she really needed to do better in terms of getting along with her. But she just felt so jealous and angry at her she couldn't help but resent her at times, even if it was for no legitimate reason. Yuka heard footsteps approaching her door, and quickly grabbed one of the books off her shelf, opening to a random page and pretending to read. It was Nana and Mayu, checking to make sure she was feeling alright. After assuring them she was fine with a fake smile they both accepted it and left. She dropped the book on her bed, not feeling the energy to place it back in its designated place. Hugging her knees, she heard some more footsteps coming from the steps, which was unmistakably Kohta going to see Lucy in her room. Feeling those guilty emotions stir again, Yuka planted her face into her palms, holding back the tears.

"Kohta you jerk," she mumbled.

* * *

The orange sky was now a blanket of black, plunging the city into night. As it came, so to did a small drizzle of rain. It started out as a drizzle, then steadily made its way to a downpour, causing those still outside to seek shelter from it. Except for one. Tomo walked back toward the empty shop he had found, making no effort to seek cover or quicken his pace. He freely let the droplets massage his face and arms. This was yet another new experience. He had heard of rain, listening to the scientist complain about the unpredictable weather patterns and the unreliable weathermen who tried to forecast them. But he had never truly known it before this moment. It seemed the world, despite its distasteful inhabitants, was filled with its own natural beauty. From the colors of the sunrise to the feeling of the rain against his skin, he was truly grateful for this opportunity. A great welcome from the dingy city to which he was now returning.

It was too symmetrical and bland. No colors, or beauty at all. Just a bunch of steel, gray buildings. Another way the humans were spoiling nature with their pollution and mindless overpopulation. _We'll remedy that soon enough. _He was now making his way down a small cluster of buildings that seemed to close in on him like animals. As he tried to guide his way down the narrow passage, he felt a strong grip latch onto his shoulders and spin him around forcefully. His back was then quickly pinned up against the wall, as a ragged looking man starred at him in the eyes while brandishing a gun at his face.

"Alright kid," the man said, "If you want to go home tonight without a hole in your head, you'll empty your pockets and give me all the money you've got right now." Tomo just looked straight at him as the rain matted his hair. He was starting to get annoyed. This was the second time today he had been attacked by someone too ignorant to know better. "Well," the man asked, sounding irritated that Tomo had not yet given up the money he didn't have and run away in fear. Kakuzawa had left him to his own devices to get food. Tomo sighed. Looks like he couldn't avoid it.

He sharply smacked the mans arm off his shoulder with enough force to send the man staggering back a few steps. The man looked shocked that his hold on Tomo had been so easily nullified. His shocked soon twisted into angry and frustration.

"Oh you're so dead ki---," he began, but before he was finished with his threat, Tomo sunk one of his vector's fingers deep into the mans skull. The was motionless, face showing his fearful unknowing of what he was feeling. Tomo searched the contents of the mans mind till he finally found what he was looking for, then gave with a quick distort of the brain artery. The mans eyes clouded up with emptiness, then he fell face first into a puddle, never to rise again. Tomo stood over his pray, feeling very proud of himself. A quick and simple death. Not a single person would be able to link this death with him once the man was discovered in the morning. He didn't like having to use his vectors for this sort of thing, but this way didn't feel so bad. Sophisticated and clean. It almost felt fun.

Standing triumphantly over his first human victim, he felt a primal satisfaction serge through his veins. He glanced down at the gun still firmly held in the dead mans hand. He bent down next to the corpse, removing the gun from his hands that were already starting to harden from rigormortis. He turned it over between his fingers inspecting its detail. Feeling the cold steel in his palms.

_**Such a rudimentary weapon**_, the voice said. Tomo didn't reply. He continued to observe the gun in his hands, feeling another strange sensation in his blood as he did so. He felt powerful. And he liked it. He liked it very much.

"I don't know," Tomo said, rising up to his full height again, "I rather like the way it feels."

_**A true weapon for a diclonius is his vectors. You should know that now**_, the voiced protested. Tomo couldn't deny that using his vectors felt exhilarating, but deception and cunning were the key to capture Lucy. This weapon might just come in handy in the future.

"Just in case," Tomo said as he pocketed the gun and head off toward the abandoned shop for some well earned rest.


	6. Chapter 6

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews. And PLEASE VOTE._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 6

Arakawa was slumping along the brightly lit corridor back to her room, pain eating away at every particle in her body and feeling so disgusted she thought she might not be able to eat for a week without throwing up. Her mind was still having great difficulty registering what had just taken place moments ago. When she had been called up to Kakuzawa's office, her first thought was that she was to be scolded for lack of headway in her continuation of his son's research on the vector virus, which he did at least once a week. Or maybe it was for still not identifying the student who had seen Professor Kakuzawa's dead body at the university which she was still asked to do during her free time. But this. This was most unexpected.

After he had finished with her, he had gotten off of her, leaving her heavily breathing, limp body on the couch. He then dressed quickly and dismissed her before she had even stood up on both legs or even began to redress herself. He treated the whole affair like a business transaction. A very dry exchange. Forget the shower, no amount of bodily cleaning would ever make her body feel cleansed ever again. She dragged her legs across the floor, making little if no effort to get to her room that was so confined and dismal it might as well been a prison cell. Her mind was a complete blank, refusing to process any further thoughts as she went.

Finally arriving at the door to her quarters, she walked inside to find it still the same as it always looked. Piles upon piles of books reaching up like miniature mountains, a small desk cluttered with research papers, a small annex bed which the covers were sloppily strewn over it, and a single corded phone on the wall beside the door. Arakawa found herself fortunate she was not closterphobic, or this room might cause her to go into seizures. She dropped herself face first into her pillow, not bothering to remove her clothes or glasses. _How did I get myself into this_, she thought, her mind finally working again. She turned over in her bed to gaze up at bland and featureless ceiling. As she continued to stare, she contemplated how she had exactly gotten to this point in her life.

She was a student at Tokyo University at the time, about to graduate with a degree in molecular science. A diligent student, she was always something of a nerd among her friends. Whereas they chose much more exciting careers to pursue, Arakawa always found solving difficult scientific equations and theorems to be a much better idea of a good time. Always excelling scholastically, science had been her strong suit. She didn't know why she had this talent or interest, but she knew very early on she wanted to be a scientist. Her original plan had been to stay on at the university to gain some experience as a lab assistant in the department labs before striking out on her own. But that was before she met a unshaven man with short brown hair. A man by the name of Kakuzawa.

She met him at one of the science departmental meetings for the students. He had been walking around from student to student making small conversation before it finally was her turn. After some introductory chit chat and friendly small talk, he announced to her that he was here to recruit an assistant for himself on some research his father's facility was funding. He told her he had heard excellent things about her from her professors and was very interested in her more then the other students. As she listened to him, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was odd about him. The feeling was difficult to describe with words. It was vague and almost nonexistent, but it felt peculiar to be in his presence. As if he was hiding something. She later found out that he was a professor at a small, safety school in Kamakura, and that even the students and other professors there thought he was a "complete weirdo". But he was an unusually charismatic man. He seemed as if he could talk his way out of any regrettable situation he might find himself in. Or like he could get anyone to do anything he had wanted, so long as he said it right. A smooth talker for sure. He continued to stroke her ego with words of praise over the next several weeks during phone calls, several cups of coffee, and lunch/dinner dates. Arakawa eventually caved in and immediately before she even graduated, she was hired as his assistant.

And for five years they both analyzed and hunted for the vector virus, until one night a few months ago a student had come to have a late night meeting with the professor. She walked into the downstairs labs find the professor dead, a puddle of blood splattering the wall and his severed head sitting by his motionless body. The rest, as they said, was history. Arakawa's eyelids began to grow increasingly heavy as sleepiness began to overcome her. Right before she drifted into a dreamless slumber, she thought back to something her mother had said to her long ago. _Maybe mom was right, maybe I should have been a teacher. _Mrs. Arakawa had never like the idea of science as a field of work for her daughter.

* * *

Sitting crossed legged in the shop, Tomo opened his shut eyes and taking himself out of his meditative state when he noticed the first signs of morning shine over the buildings, penetrating the smudged windows and his closed eyes. He walked over to the window, wiped away some of the filth with his shirt, and watched as the burning sun took its usual path up the sky. Again he hadn't slept any. But he had long ago at the facility become adept at meditating so as to revitalize his body and renew his energy. More then ever he couldn't afford to sleep now anyway. If he did so, he might lose control of blocking his aura, and Lucy or Number 7 might sense him and blow his element of surprise. Looking at the sphere mixing of red, orange, and yellow his stomach gave a loud rumble, letting him know it required nutrition of some kind. 

"Man, I need food," he grumbled.

_**And how do you plan to get food? **_This was a good question. Tomo hadn't eaten since the facility and now was desperately wanting to fill his belly. But with no money for which to buy food, he didn't have that many other options. Tomo walked back to the spot where he had been meditating on the floor, bending over to pick up two broken horns and pocketed them. _**You should have taken some money from the man you killed last night**_, the voice suggested.

"I worry about food later," Tomo retorted, more out of embarrassment that he hadn't thought of that the previous night. He retied his bandana, then stepped outside into the morning and began to make his way down into the center of the city. If he knew Kakuzawa, the items he had requested would have been sitting there waiting for him by now, and he wanted to get to them first before some unsuspecting passerby. He walked down the sidewalks, looking up at the green street signs and following the directions of the director exactly. He followed them until he came to the alley between the two streets that Kakuzawa had so descriptively described for him. This one however didn't look much different from the other ones Tomo had seen in this city. Still dark, still damp, and just as foul smelling. He instantly saw it. A small crate placed discreetly amongst a pile of cardboard boxes and other assorted trash. He pulled the crate out from its hiding place and opened it to find a brand new, jet black pistol roughly the size of his hand with a few extra magazines of ammo, all filled with custom made bullets. Guaranteed to fly right through vectors. Also inside was an array of mechanical parts and tools used to help upgrade an artificial limb.

_**What's that for**_, the voice asked.

"It's for our mercenary friend," Tomo said darkly. If he was to gain both Lucy's and the human's trust, then this fight had to look and feel real to the both of them. Tomo held the new gun in his hands and compared it to the one still stuffed in the back of his jeans were no one could see. This one felt much heavier then the simple one Tomo now carried. And again, Tomo felt the surge of excitement at the events soon to come swell up inside him.

"What do you say we pay our little friend an early morning visit," Tomo said, his tone an overly friendly tune. He placed the gun neatly back in its box, closed the lid, picked it up with both hands, and walked back to the beach.

* * *

Bandoh was not a patient man. He sat on a crate by the shore, rapidly tapping his foot against a wooden board under his feet. He knew his being impatient was illogical. It had only been a day since he last seen the boy. But he had been waiting for an opportunity like this for months, and he wasn't likely to keep waiting much longer. Bandoh definitely was not a patient man. Not when it came to this. He scowled at the sea, as if he did so long enough Tomo might pop out of the sea at his command. _If that little fuck pulls one over on me._

Bandoh began scanning the beach's sandy shore, trying to see if he had missed any pieces of trash left there. Something to do maybe to kill some time. As he observed it for the fourth time in eight minutes, he assumed that he had cleaned it up completely. Littering had always bothered Bandoh. It wasn't out of any concern for mother "fucking" nature. Nor was it by any means a desire to keep things clean. Certainly none of those things bothered him at all. It just got on his nerves. He hated filth. But he also had a more subjective motive for wanting the beach to be clear of any garbage. If the shore line was clear, then that bitch wouldn't have anything she could use as a projectile during their eventual confrontation. That was assuming that Tomo contacted him before the turn of the next century. Bandoh kicked a small pile of sand he had built with the toes of his foot to relief his frustration. He was about half tempted to get up and go get himself some breakfast before a giant box was dropped right beside him, causing him to nearly topple off his sit, rising into a reflexive fighting stance. Tomo stood with his hands at his hips, looking extremely proud of himself.

"I have a little present for you," he said smiling broadly. Bandoh looked back and forth between Tomo and the box, wary of any chance at betrayal. Slowly Bandoh bent down onto his knees to open the box.

"And it isn't even my birthday yet," he added jokingly as he opened it. He examined the contents with great interest and appreciation, holding the gun firmly in its grip and enjoying the feel of a fresh weapon in his hands again. He then pulled out each magazine of ammo, inspecting the quality of the bullets and making a mental note of exactly how much ammo he had to work with. Then he noticed the spare parts for his mechanical hand sitting at the bottom. He picked these up as well, surprised at the high quality of these tools Tomo had secured. This would upgrade his arm better then it had ever been. Surveying everything at once now, Bandoh had to smile. Things were looking good. This time, he would be ready for her.

"I assume everything is to your approval," Tomo asked, noticing Bandoh's darkly bright grin.

"Damn straight," Bandoh answered. He picked up the black firearm, inserting some of the ammo into its grip, savoring the sound of the click as magazine locked itself in. Aiming playfully at the sea, Bandoh imagined Lucy laying on the beach, the water turning red from her open gunshot wounds. The gun felt familiar in his hands. Returning from his revel, Bandoh put everything away back in the box, then looked up at Tomo through his sunglasses. "What do you want?"

"Excuse me?" Tomo tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Bandoh stood up at this point to look him straight in the face.

"Look buddy I don't like being in debt to anyone. So come on, tell me what I can do to make us even for this stuff and helping me out," Bandoh said bitterly, sounding like this was causing him physical displeasure. Tomo plucked at his chin in mock thinking, until his stomach gave a grumble so loud it was impossible for Bandoh not to have heard it.

"I am kind of hungry," he said. Bandoh just laughed.

"Man, I'm liking you more and more," he said in-between laughs. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he turned him and guided back up the coast. "So tell, what sorta plan have you got cookin?"

* * *

Lucy's eyes shot open, her vision obscured by the darkness of her room. She sat upright in her bed and allowed her vision to adapt itself to the inky shadows. She had another nightmare. This was the second one in two days, and she could tell they were slowly becoming more unbearable. This time around, she found herself reliving every gruesome murder she had every done as if experiencing them for a second time. What was worst was that she had complete awareness of each chain of events to come next. Yet despite her telling her body to stop, it defiantly disobeyed her. She watched in regrettable horror as her body cut people in two against her wishes, beyond her control. It felt like the body was hers, but someone else was making it move. She would scream out in agony, willing her body to cease while it continued to paint her dream with crimson. 

Then she felt _it _again. That presence of another that felt like ice and fire mixed together. Only this time, it was much stronger. Much more real. _When is this going to end_, she asked herself as she wiped away some grit from her eyes. She turned to look at the digital clock that sat on the floor by her bed. It currently read 5:12 in the morning. Lucy then cocked her head to look at the blinds of her window. She could make out no gleam coming in through the shades. The sun still had yet to rise apparently. Even though she knew she wouldn't fall back asleep (and she didn't really want to anyway), she rested her head on her feather pillow so as to at least be comfortable. She just gaped at the ceiling covered in darkness, her mind empty of any thoughts. She rested there for what felt like hours, but in actuality was only minutes, when she felt the same pressure in her head again. It was so sharp she winched her eyes in surprise. She placed her hand over the stump of one of her horns, trying to make it stop. She sat up again.

This feeling. She knew it all too well. A diclonius. And a powerful one too. Whoever it was, they were close. Her eyes darted from side to side, her mind set and prepared for any sudden attacks, worried they might jump out from her own closet. _Your just being paranoid_, she told herself, _It's probably just Nana._ But Lucy knew this already to not be true. Not only was Nana's aura less potent then this, but Lucy would have recognized it at once. This one was unknown to her. Another burst of pressure in her head confirmed it. This was someone else. Her mind was now a jumble of questions and anxiousness. Who was this person? What were they doing here? Where they after her? Did Kakuzawa send another one after her? All these questions and more jumped at her at once. Instincts told her to ignore it. And yet by some force, she felt bound to investigate.

_What are you thinking_, she thought, knowing the notion was down right crazy and against better judgment. Yet curiosity seemed to drive her, overriding her logical senses. reaching out with her own ability, she tried to get an exact location of where the feeling was coming from. _The beach._ Without full knowing why, she was getting up, changing out of her night clothes, and checking the time and calculating how long it would take for her to get to the beach and back before anyone noticed. On tiptoes she walked down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone up. Every creek in the floorboard had never sounded so loud to Lucy before now. As she got downstairs, as an extra precaution she left a note in the kitchen telling whoever woke up first that she went out for an early morning walk, hoping no one would worry.

Putting her shoes on at the door, Lucy stepped out into the breezeless morning. Even though it was still summer and there wasn't any wind, Lucy felt a chill creep up her body starting at the soles of her feet and all the way to the crown of her skull, engulfing the entirety of her. She wondered if this was an ill omen of some kind. A warning. She stood still for a moment under the stream of stars above her, looking back and forth between the two doors contemplating whether or not she should check this out or not. Finally making up her mind, she set off at a trot for the beach. _I just know I'm going to regret this._

* * *

_A/N: Hello readers. I have noticed many of you have read my notice about my voting for the story, yet many of you have not voted yet. If you are not doing so because you are not interested, I would like to please ask you do so anyway. The more of you that vote, the more fun this is for me. So please vote anyway, even if you just pick randomly and make up a reason why you picked them if you have to. BUT PLEASE VOTE. Make this fun for me at least._


	7. Chapter 7

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 7

"She's on here way here," Tomo said, looking into the distance as he felt the unmistakable presence of Lucy coming ever closer to where he and Bandoh were. "We'd better get ready and into position," he advised. He turned to find his "partner" playfully aiming his gun at imaginary enemies and making his own gunshot sound effects. The scene resembled that of a child playing with a toy, which sent a peculiarly sick lurch in Tomo's stomach. It was clear to see that he was getting excited, and that he had not heard a word Tomo said. Tomo repeated himself, speaking louder so as to be heard over Bandoh's childlike behavior. Bandoh stopped instantly, face flushing a little in the dark.

"It's party time," Bandoh cheered, cocking the gun for emphasis.

"Remember the plan. I'll be hiding over there, ready to help if things get...messy," he said, indicating with his finger toward a group of nearby crates.

"Don't worry," Bandoh answered defiantly, "I don't plan on losing to that bitch again."

"Of course," Tomo replied with a polite bow of the head. He watched as the human smiled another obnoxious grin, going through some ridiculous looking warm up, still blissfully unaware of Tomo's true intention. Now sitting behind the crate, and out of sight, he pulled out the gun from the back of his jeans pants and cradled in lightly in his hands like it was some fragile infant he did not wish to drop. _This is going to be interesting._

* * *

By the time Lucy arrived at the beach, the sun was only just starting to rise out of the ocean horizon. The sounds of the waves and blending colors of the sky, usually calming, were now oddly ominous in the given circumstances of the empty shore. She paced cautiously down the steps and onto the beach, the sand crunching underneath her steps. Taking long looks to her left and then her right, she saw no indication that a diclonius, or anybody else or that matter, was anywhere nearby. Unsure why she even came in the first place, Lucy turned over excuse after excuse in her mind while making her way here. If someone else was still after her, and especially if it was another diclonius, then she had to deal with them. Otherwise it might put the others, and Kohta, in danger. That was what she told herself anyway. But that was just a cheap way to reconcile coming. She knew that the truth of the matter was that the real force driving her to this unknown, and possibly dangerous feeling, was plain old curiosity. And what was that old saying about curiosity. _Best no to go there._

Standing in the tide as the waves spread over her ankles, feeling certain this was where the feeling was coming from, Lucy was starting to become confused. Now that she was here, the feeling had vanished. Gone as mysteriously as it had came. She took two more glances to her sides, afraid she was being deceived into a false sense of security, or maybe she might have missed something. Nothing. Lucy wondered now if she had imagined the whole thing and wasted a trip for nothing more then an aftereffect of a bad dream. Feeling foolish, she almost turned to leave when she felt another sensation, though different from the one that brought her here. It was a primal sort of feeling in nature. She felt like she was in danger. Instincts taking over, she dived to the right side just as a soft POP reverberated in the air and a single bullet struck where she had just been, kicking up a pillar of sand. Rolling onto her back and then to her knees, she looked at who assaulted her.

"Remember me bitch," said a voice spiced with hate, clearly astonished and upset she had dodged the first attack. He stepped out from behind a large crate he used as a vantage point, aiming a gun level with her heart. Lucy's eyes widened with recognition.

"YOU!"

Bandoh shot off two more bullets, their sound muffled by the silencer. Lucy rolled out of their path before they hit the ground. Stumbling to her feet, she predictably ran for the area strewn about with things she could use for protection. She ducked behind another large crate, breathing heavy and a survival adrenaline washing over her. She listened to his slow approaching footsteps, each step mirroring the beating of her heart.

"Come on, don't you wanna play," he called out to her. She remained still and silent, determined to stay hidden as long as she could. "Oh I get it, hide and seek right? Come out, come out, where ever you are." He spoke every word with an icy precision. Piercing her skin and attacking her soul. And not for the first time in a long while, Lucy again feared for her life. _I knew I shouldn't have come here._

* * *

If Bandoh wasn't so focused, he may have noticed that Lucy no longer had her horns. But all else was now forcibly cast out of his mind. He stalked his prey through the maze of shipping boxes, drum barrels, old abandoned fishing boats and nets, and other pieces of debris, taking his sweet time as he did. He could end this quickly and easily if he wanted to, but where was the fun in that? He was going to juice as much entertainment out of this as humanly possible. Now acute to the smallest hints of sound and movement, an attribute derived from years of training and service in various military organizations, he waited. Craning his head around every possible hiding place, Bandoh remembered with vivid detail each humiliating defeat handed to him by that little horned bitch. How he lost both his eyes and a hand to her. How she insulted him by letting him live both times. But this time would be different. This time it was his turn. _Third times the charm._

Footsteps behind him, and he swiftly turned firing his gun just as a foot disappeared behind more debris, missing by inches. "What's the matter, don't you want to fight anymore," he spat, getting frustrated. After patiently waiting for this moment, she wasn't even making it fun by facing him head on. He calmed himself, knowing he needed to keep a level head if he wanted to beat her. He wasn't going to underestimate her this time.

"Big bad ass bitch not up to snuff anymore," he provoked, hoping to coax her out of hiding. "What happened to that killing machine I know and love? I brought you all the way out here just to say hi!" Bandoh continued to berate her as he peered around every edge. He could at least enjoy taunting her. More movement, and Bandoh fired more bullets, barely missing her again. _Keep on running_, he thought to himself, _You'll run out of hiding spots eventually. And I can keep this up all day._

* * *

Lucy ducked her head as she dashed behind a wooden boat, more bullets flying, wanting to get as far from her attacker as she could. She didn't know how he did it, but somehow he had managed to lure her here with something the closely resembled that of a diclonius aura. Perhaps he had some machine tucked away that could do such a thing. Either way, she had been fooled. It was unimportant to think about it now. She had more pressing matters to attend to. Surviving for one, which wouldn't last long if she kept this up. She could rap her mind around the mystery of it after she got out alive. Looking ahead, she saw that the debris ran out soon, leaving only another long patch of beach and sand. She was going to run out of places to hide. She listened to his raving and taunting, using the sound of his voice to tell how close he was and whether she could risk moving. He was getting closer.

For a moment Lucy considered running back the opposite way, but Bandoh was now upturning every empty space he came across with his enhanced hand. Making her only other escape route completely and utterly useless. _Doesn't he ever quit._ An old anger was starting to bubble inside her. She had been kind enough to spare his petty life twice. Something she didn't too often back in the day. And both times he had repaid her with another assault on her life. Even worse was that this was nothing more then a personal vendetta on his part. It had nothing to do with her being a diclonius. She was sick of it. Sick of being hunted, of hiding behind trash, and mostly, she was sick of him. Why couldn't they all just leave her alone? _You want to die so badly, so be it. _Her mind set, she quickly accessed her situation. She knew she had at least one advantage over him. As long as he didn't surprise her, she could deflect his bullets easily with her vectors. And he'd run out of ammo sooner or later.

Gingerly she looked around the barrel her back was pressed tightly against to see Bandoh walking precariously close. He was silent again, his back turned as he looked behind a crate. Seizing the opportunity, Lucy jumped to her feet from behind the barrel running at her fullest speed, ramming her whole body into the back of him. The both of them fell to the ground and tumbled, their arms and legs hitting several objects. One of Lucy's legs hit the edge of a steel crate, now brandishing a bleeding gash on her calf. Having no time to think about the pain in her leg, she got to her feet first after they both stopped rolling, Bandoh reaching for his gun which he lost grip of, more bullets beating the sand just as Lucy dived behind a wooden boat.

"COME OUT OF HIDING AND FUCKING FACE ME YOU GUTLESS BITCH!" His frustration was apparent and at a paramount. _Good_, Lucy thought. If he was agitated, then he was more likely to make a mistake or get sloppy. Using her vectors, she picked up a drum barrel close by and hurled it at him. It was pointless however. All these items were too big and he was effortlessly seeing it being lifted in the air by nothing and dived out of the way just as easily. She hounded him with this tactic though anyway. He was out of range of her vectors now, and at least she could keep him concentrated on avoiding her throws and not on shooting her.

Bandoh continued his own impromptu tactics, firing in random directions as he came out of his dive rolls, hoping to get a lucky shot. After so many minutes of this back and forth combat, Lucy decided it was time to end this. Giving him one last hurl of debris, she stood up from behind where she was hiding. There was no other way to end this quickly. She had run through almost every other possible choice, but this was the only realistic one. The two looked directly at one another, her eyes reverting to the same deathly expression she wore last time they met. She didn't budge so much as a centimeter.

"Oh, and I was just starting to have fun," Bandoh said trying to sound disappointed. He too was unmovable. He aimed his gun directly at her. "What are you going to do huh? You can't get me from way over there, and if you take one more step I'll put a fucking bullet in your brain." Lucy said nothing, unaffected by these treats. "If you surrender, I might kill you quickly. _Might_." Again Lucy remained mute. She stepped forward, moving slowly among what was left of the crates and barrels. Neither one was showing any signs of feeling threatened, both radiating the same strict confidence. The sounds of the environment around fell on deaf ears to the two of them. And then it happened like lightning.

Just as the heel of Lucy's foot came down just before two meters, Bandoh fired another round. Lucy extended her vectors to block it, but it just flew through the invisible hand as if it weren't there at all. Flying so fast she was unaware of this, the bullet skidded the side of Lucy's head, throwing her back and rolling her to the shore. Thoroughly bewildered, Lucy brought a hand to her head, a patch of red at her finger tips when she brought it back to inspect it. Her head felt like it was split in half, her brain still vibrating from the impact inside her skull.

"Shit! I missed," Bandoh said, standing three meters from her for precautionary sake. "Looks like you lost your edge girl. Now, it's over bitch." Lucy tried to find something to use as a projectile, but anything of significance was out of range, including Bandoh himself. It was over. She had lost, and was now about to die. Bandoh replaced the empty mag with a fresh one, tossing the empty one behind him. Lucy closed her eyes and braced herself for death. _It's what I deserve anyway._ In the darkness of her shut eyes, she could think of only one thing she would truly miss. _Kohta, I'm so sorry. _As if with her minds eye, she could clearly visualize the gun finding its target in the middle of her forehead as Bandoh basked in the moment. "Game over bitch. You lose." Then there was a loud BANG.

* * *

Bandoh dropped the gun, grasping his shoulder which was now pouring of his own blood as pain coursed through his veins. Another shot, and this time the bullet hit his leg, sending Bandoh to the ground. Unsure of what happened, Bandoh turned to find where the shots had originated. Standing with a 9mm pistol gripped firmly in his hands, smoke seeping out its barrel...was Tomo?! Surely this was some kind of sick joke. But the conviction on Tomo's face said otherwise, and soon the truth became known to Bandoh. He had been played. _He planned this. That little mother fucker betrayed me. _His anger was rising to new levels of intensity, levels never before felt by him. Feelings stronger even then what he felt toward Lucy. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS YOU LITTLE SHIT!" That was what he wanted to say. But before the words could pass from thought and to his lips, Tomo pulled the trigger again, sending a bullet right between Bandoh's eyes, a red mist glittering the breeze. Bandoh, the great soldier and mercenary, was dead.

* * *

Lucy's eyes were transfixed on the black haired stranger, at a complete loss for words about what just transpired. He continued to point the gun at the unmoving body of the mercenary, his body frozen like time had stopped. Leisurely he lowered his gun, the morning sun casting a heroic yet haunting glow about him. He looked at her, holding her gaze before rushing over to her, a look of genuine concern now on his face.

"Are you ok," he asked quickly. Lucy did not answer. Too many questions were now weighing down on her for her to be able to vocalize a reply. Not to mention the shock that still rattled her. Not appearing to need an answer, he rolled up the pants leg of Lucy's hurt leg to examine the wound.

"Does this hurt," he asked pressing down on her leg. She winched slightly.

"A little," she answered finally, unable to stay silent any longer under the sting.

"Well it looks like the wound isn't to deep. Still you shouldn't put too much weight on it for a while." He unrolled her pants and then went to closely look at the cut on her head, which was still bleeding a little. After carefully examining it, he spoke again. "It just grazed you a little. You should be fine. Your very lucky you know that," he said smiling at her. "Can you stand?"

He stood up and extended his hand to help her up. Lucy was taken completely aback by this unfamiliar, chivalrous kindness. Especially in a complete stranger.

"I think so," she replied plainly as she took his hand into hers and he pulled her to her feet. She tried to walk, but after one step, buckled under the scathing pain of her leg. The stranger quickly caught her and raised her arm over his shoulder.

"Maybe I should help," he said with a smile, and what Lucy thought she saw as a slight blush. Carrying half her weight, he lead her up the beach where, at a garbage bin, he deposited the gun.


	8. Chapter 8

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. PLEASE submit reviews._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 8

Lucy's arm was draped over the shoulder of the stranger as they crawled along the sidewalk path. Giving half her weight to him, which was making it difficult for them to walk in a straight line, they stumbled to the side every few steps. Thankfully, the inhabitants of the city were still in their homes, leaving it deserted. This spared the two of them a very peculiar explanation as to why Lucy looked like she had just been in a brutal fight, and would no doubt cause them a great deal of trouble. As the pregnant silence between them grew, Lucy now turned her thoughts back to the battle at the beach with Bandoh. Turning it over again and again in her aching mind, she recognized several missed opportunities. Able to think now without the obtrusion of battle, she noticed many times when she had failed to use vectors to exploit an opening that could have ended the battle sooner, and probably with less injury on her part. She inwardly kicked herself. Bandoh was right, she had lost her edge. And however much she hated to admit it, that prospect bothered her strangely enough.

"What was that about back there," he asked cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Beats me," she answered untruthfully. She was afraid this question might come up and decided not to tell him more then he needed to know. The silence resumed itself, Lucy only opening her mouth to speak to guide him with directions. He moved with an odd swiftness, despite the extra strain of carrying Lucy. Almost as if he knew where he was going.

"So what's your name," he broke the silence again as the reached the tall granite steps.

"Lucy," she said dully, "And yours?" In actuality she didn't much care to know what his name was. She had only asked out of convention.

"Tomo."

Lucy's body went limp for a second, falling to her knees and dragging them both down slightly, Tomo using all his strength to keep himself and Lucy level. That name. It hit her with the monumental force of a freight train.

"Are you ok," the stranger asked, looking puzzled. She looked into his face, but it wasn't his face she saw. The ghostly apparition of a dark haired young boy appeared before her eyes, a jeering scowl glaring back at her. A face bound to taunt her for eternity. Shaking her vision free of the image, it was once again possessed by the man who had saved her at the beach, his lips curled in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," was her simple reply.

* * *

Kohta was starting to get worried that Lucy had not returned yet. The kitchen was abound with its usual clattering of sounds sound from rattling plates, running water, and the television turned on in the opposite room, currently turned onto the morning news discussing the death of a man found dead of an aneurysm two days earlier. Lucy had gotten up before any of them and left a note telling them she'd gone out for a walk. Normally, this wouldn't be cause for concern to Kohta, but something felt out of place. Lucy was prone to take long walks, but she always stayed close by the house. It was already past breakfast and she still had yet to return. It shouldn't take this long to walk around the block once or twice. The fact that Lucy almost never got up before the others only served to fuel his concern. Kohta tried telling himself he was just being paranoid, that Lucy could have only just left, but was unable to ignore the sinking feeling he had in the pit of his belly.

"Are you ok," Yuka asked, placing a stack of dirty dishes on the counter by the sink. Kohta had been starring dreamily into the plate he was still washing despite its perfect shine.

"I'm fine...it's just," he started, returning back to cleaning the new stack of plates Yuka had just brought him. He was unsure how to voice his concerns. "I'm just worried about Lucy. She hasn't come back yet," he said simply. Yuka's face contorted in what Kohta thought was a grimace before it retorted back to her motherly smile.

"I'm sure she's fine." She walked up beside Kohta and began assisting him by washing the pots and pans. The two stood side by side in silence. Only the scrubbing of the plates and the water from the faucet could be heard. When Yuka spoke again, Kohta could barely hear her as she talked barely above a whisper. Her face was sullen. "Hey Kohta," she paused. Kohta blushed, fearing he had an idea where this question would go.

Wanta began barking happily, signaling that someone was at the door. Kohta's spirits instantly lifted, knowing it had to be Lucy back from her stroll. Forgetting about the dishes and eager to avoid Yuka's question, he briskly walked for the door just as it was sliding open. _That dog is better then a doorbell._

"Welcome back. Where'd you go off t--," he stopped mid breath. Before him was the sight of Lucy hanging off the shoulder of some boy he had never seen till this moment, her leg and head trickling steady drips of blood. Both Lucy and this boy looked extremely exhausted. There was a pause as Kohta tried to analyze what he was looking at.

"Um," the boy spoke, "A little help...please."

* * *

Kohta, Yuka, Nana, and Mayu all listened intently as the boy named Tomo recounted for them what happened while Lucy washed up in the bathroom and bandaged her wounds, having refused assistance from both Mayu and Yuka. Tomo took a sip from his cup of tea, which he willingly accepted, before returning to his story. According to him, he was walking by the shoreline when he heard some kind of commotion. Going down to investigate, he saw a bedeviled looking man attacking a pink haired girl. As he got closer to try and help he found a discarded gun. Assuming that it once belonged to the attacker, and hoping it still had some ammo, he picked it up and ran over to them. Without a thought in his head, he shot the man the moment he was close enough. Appearing to weak to walk home on her own, he offered to escort her and to help carry her. As he finished, they all continued to look at him, a stunned quiet between them and taking in everything he said.

"That's quite a hard story to swallow," Yuka said sounding unconvinced.

"Well that's what happened," Tomo retorted defensively.

"Could you describe the man who attacked her please," Kohta asked. Listening to Tomo describing the man with short brownish blonde hair, Kohta thought he sounded vaguely familiar. After all the details fell into place, comprehension hit Kohta as he slammed his clenched fist on the table. "Dammit, it was that soldier guy again! It has to be!" Kohta's anger dissipated through the atmosphere as the room fell uncomfortably silent.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Mayu asked tentatively, finally breaking the silence, "Why did you shot him? Couldn't you have stopped him without killing him?" Tomo lowered his head as though he was ashamed to look at them directly.

"I don't know," he said weakly, "Just instincts I guess. She was in danger so I just...did it."

"Where did you come from," Yuka questioned him, sounding more suspicious then intended. He didn't answer at first, instead continuing to look at the carpet, like he was weighing how much he should tell them. Lucy had strolled into the room unnoticed during the moments hesitation and sat down next to Kohta, a gauze pad taped to her head. After another moments quiet, he raised his gaze to them again.

"I've been on my own for a while now. When I was young my parents just abandoned me for some reason. I'm not sure why, but one day they just dropped me off in the woods and never came back."

"Why would they doing something like that," Mayu asked sympathetically, looking horror struck that someone would do something so cruel to a child.

Tomo shrugged. "I don't know. I had no other family and I wasn't going to stay at an orphanage. So I started walking. I've been traveling from town to town ever since. Staying here for a few days, scrounging up some food and other supplies I need to survive. Then I move on." He finished his story with an unusual calm and apathy.

"Doesn't that bother you," Yuka inquired. Tomo stroked his chin in deep thought, looking like he never even considered this before now.

"Not really. I was upset at first but," he pasued, "You get used to it." There was something tragic in that final statement he made. With a single motion, Kohta stood up, a fierce determination lining his face.

"Can I talk to you guys for a moment," he asked as he held the door handle. One by one the others got to their feet and followed Kohta out onto the landing of the staircase by the old clock, leaving Tomo in the dining room. Kohta waited to speak until they all huddled into a circle, the enclosed space keeping in their whispers.

"I think we should let him stay here."

"WHAT," Yuka yelled, or at least as loud as a whisper would permit to get her shock across. Everyone held equally stunned looks at his suggestion, all but Lucy, whose gaze was still held by the closed door. "Are you crazy," Yuka finished.

"Why not," Kohta whispered, surprised by her reaction.

"Kohta, we can't afford to have another person stay here." She said this apprehensively, as if she were trying to get a ignorant person to understand the situation. "We can barely afford all our expenses as it is." Everything, from the essentials of living to the luxuries of it, had been coming from the money Yuka's parents sent them monthly, and the money Kohta had inherited from his father. And the cost for five people and one pet living together was, needless to say, an expensive arrangement.

"Oh we should have enough," Kohta said hopefully, "And it's not like we don't have enough rooms. We still have that one room left we're not using." Yuka tried to speak, but was unable to find a retort to this. Her eyes looked defiant, but her body swayed in uncertainty. "What do you girls think," he asked looking at the others hoping for some support.

"I think we should let him stay," Mayu chimed in instantly after Kohta finished, "I mean...it's not like he has any place else to go right?" Neither Nana or Lucy looked eager to give their opinion, as Nana looked at the floor and Lucy had still to divert her eyes from the door.

"Well," Kohta prompted.

"I think so," Nana said, but didn't elaborate further. Everyone now looked to Lucy like hers was the deciding vote. She only looked back toward the dining room, unknowing or uncaring to everyone's stares. She finally turned her head to face the cramped group. Her face was the usual colorless, expressionless painting it had always been these days.

"Me too," she said unconvincingly. The clock ticked loudly beside them, counting the tension between the group. Yuka still did not look persuaded, her eyes looking skeptically into every ones faces.

"Come on. He did save Lucy after all," Kohta pushed. Yuka's eyes wavered as she breathed in a long breath and let it out slowly.

"Alright, alright," she finally said, raising her hands in consent. Kohta clapped his hands in finality, looking like a coach breaking up a team huddle. Then he lead them all single file back into the room where Tomo sat gazing into the emptiness of his tea cup. He didn't look up until they were all sitting back down. Kohta looked directly at him, a comforting smile starting to emerge.

"We want you to stay here with us," he said bluntly. Tomo starred perplexedly back at him. Kohta was enjoying his surprise reaction to their offer.

"I can't," Tomo said, getting up and trying to head for the door. Kohta got up and walked briskly over to grab his wrist before he could reach the handle, stepping over Yuka and Nana to get there. "I don't want to be any trouble," Tomo said before Kohta could speak.

"Don't worry," he assured him, "We have plenty of room."

"But we do have one condition," Yuka stood up and declared instantly after Kohta finished his sentence. "If you stay here, you have to help out with the house work. That's just the way we do things," she added with a motherly conclusiveness. Tomo was silent for a moment, contemplating this stipulation.

"Ok." Everyone around gave him a welcoming smile, Yuka's looking only half hearted and Lucy's even weaker.

"Alright, it's decided. Now lets get you set up," Kohta said, giving Tomo a friendly pat on the back.

* * *

Sitting up in his newly and simply furbished room, with only a small bed and a pile of clothes Kohta had lent him in the far corner, everyone else slept soundly as Tomo sat on the cushion of his bed, feeling immensely proud of himself. Everything was going so well at the moment. Not even a day had passed before he found Lucy and concocted a plan to obtain her. Then the next day he enacted his plan, which worked out perfectly as he had envisioned it. And now he sat here, in her house, everyone completely unaware of who he really was. Again, exactly as he had planned. He was particularly proud of the story he had fed them, all of its details which had been conjured up at that very moment they had asked him.

_**Such a heartfelt performance**_, the voice joked at him.

"I know," he joked back, "I should be an actor shouldn't I." Tomo imitated holding an invisible statue, putting own an overly expressive face of someone fraught with both extreme elation and emotion. "I'd like to thank the academy for this award. You like me. You really like me."

Now able to relax for a moment from his role playing, Tomo thought back to Lucy. All her features appeared as perfect and clear as a photo in his head as he worshipped her in every elegant detail that made her radiant. She surpassed everything he had thought she'd be. Even though she held herself back before, he could sense a power withering her. Sleeping. A vicious animal begging to be released from its cage. And she was even more attractive then he could ever have hoped. Her angelic looks made even more so by her tragic demeanor. She was like a mix between both demon and angel. The perfect combination of both power and loveliness. Tomo wished to keep this image in his mind all night, but the voice spoke again, Lucy vanishing into mist as it did so.

_**What is your plan now**_, it asked. Tomo hated the voice for interrupting him, but knew the question had its merit.

"I'll just sit back and wait. Observe them until I find someway to break them apart."

_**What is your meaning?**_

"It's obvious that they are all close to one another," Tomo explained, "The best way I see to get Lucy to come over to me," he paused to let the power of it sink in, "is to break the bonds that tie them together. Make them hate each other." Tomo loved the sneakiness and deception he would have to implore to achieve such a goal. Two-faced...perhaps. But they were only humans after all. Who cared what they felt or thought. And Number 7 was a factor he neither worried or cared about. Lucy, however, would surely understand him for his use of such methods.

_**Then she will freely come to you once you tell her what you are**_, the voice finished.

"Exactly." Crossing his legs comfortably and cupping his hands on his lap, Tomo closed his eyes and fell into a meditative trance.


	9. Chapter 9

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. PLEASE SUBMIT REVIEWS._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 9

With her head resting against the palm of one hand, the other dully paging through another student directory, Arakawa was not giving her full attention to the pictures of students looking back at her. It was all pointless. The picture of the boy the Director was looking for had already been found weeks ago and was now stuffed between her mattress. She was only doing it now to give herself something to stay busy in this otherwise boring place, which had the magnitude to drive her to the brink of insanity. Being more or less a prisoner, ways to keep yourself entertained were scarce, so she'd have to make do. Licking the tips of her finger and turning yet another page, Arakawa lazily studied the faces of the students, reading their names aloud to herself.

"Yue Suzuno...Seiji Yamaguchi...Hidekie Anno...Yori Takami," she yawned. Sometimes, to make things more interesting, she would make up little backgrounds and stories to fit the students. But she'd worn out that option when her stories were no longer feasible and started becoming ridiculous. The latest story she'd made up, was about a student who was a half werewolf, had an interest in polka music, and had a secret ambition of wanting to go to Pluto. Unable to think of a fathomable story, she returned to simply turning the pages of the blue binders with little enthusiasm.

"Taka Kumoshiro...Kyo Miyazaki...Tenko Hongo." These pictures were starting to look familiar now. Examining the cover, she realized this volume had been perused at least four times already. Arakawa wouldn't have been surprised if by now she could recognize half the campus.

"Nao Kaido...Shuichi Mizushima." Arakawa was starting to wonder what actually would happen if she were to turn in the boy to the Director. Based on what he originally wanted to do to her, she could make a wild guess. Or maybe he would do something worse then that. What was the Director so desperate to hide she wondered. What did he want?

"Xu Kaguraza." Now that she thought about it in greater detail, there were many things about the Director and this facility that had been bothering her for some time now. The professor had told her their research was to find the virus so as to develop a vaccine. She wasn't so sure anymore. If that were the case, then why were there so many diclonius still alive at this facility? Weren't they supposed to be quarantined then killed? Weren't they too dangerous to be kept alive? What was the Director up to? She now realized she had no idea what he exactly did here. She could only ever recall him just standing in his office, starring into the eyes of his own reflection in the window.

She had stopped turning the pages and reading the names to the room. Now, she was starring past the pictures, into her mind as pondering probed her thoughts from one to another. Something felt out of place. Nothing was adding up, or making any coherent sense. Even the extent to which they kept her isolated from the outside world was incomprehensible. All these questions and more filled her with a curiosity she couldn't ignore. Whatever the Director was up to, it couldn't be good. And she had to get to the bottom of it. Placing the book on a long stack of identical binders, Arakawa plopped on herself on her bed, pulling the unclean covers over her body. As she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, she knew what she was planning on doing was beyond foolish. It was downright stupid and dangerous. If she was caught, Kakuzawa would surely have her killed this time. But something stunk here, and it wasn't from her lack of a bath for weeks. At the very least, she told herself, it would give her something constructive to do with her time.

* * *

Yuka awoke the following morning bright and early. Walking down towards the kitchen, she was surprise to see she was the first one up this time. A spot that was more often then not held by Nana. And as was the custom in Kaede House, since Yuka was up first she would be the one to cook breakfast. She decided on eggs and sausages, with some cut up cabbage as a garnish. Yuka was in the process of cutting up the cabbage on a worn and scratched looking cutting board when she heard a new pair of footsteps coming down from the stairs. She turned to greet them as they entered the kitchen, expecting to see either Mayu or Nana, but instead saw Tomo, who looked extremely well rested. 

"Good morning...Yuka right," he said with a friendly smile, looking flushed at not remembering her name. She returned the greeting, then went back to cutting the cabbage. She didn't much care for Tomo. It was anything personal, or even him in general. She was just so frustrated at the idea of having another person in the house. It was crowded enough as it was with five people and one dog. But he was here now, so she thought she'd better get used to him. At least it wasn't another girl this time. That fact comforted her.

"Where do you keep the plates," Tomo asked her.

"In the pantry by the sink," she replied, not paying him or his question much attention. Without another response, Tomo reached up to open the pantry door and withdrew five plates and five matching tea cups. Yuka looked on, her knife halfway into a slice, stunned by this sudden helpfulness. She was speechless as he place the plates and cups on the counter and turned to her.

"What about the forks and spoons?" She merely pointed to the draw underneath the counter. He instantly began rooting through its confines and collected enough silverware for everyone, placing them on top of the plates. He saw Yuka's confused expressions and looked mildly worried. "Is something wrong?"

"What are you doing," she asked. Tomo let out a small snicker, clearly relieved that what was bothering wasn't anything serious.

"Didn't you say people who stay here have to help?"

"Yes," Yuka answered him.

"Well...I'm helping." Tomo picked up the small stack of plates and utensils, walking out of the kitchen and toward the dining room where they had all talked last night. Yuka had no idea he had taken to heart what she said so seriously. Never before had she met a boy with such nobility. It was her experience with them (and she had plenty) that they were generally unnoticing, dense, clueless, and just plain jerks. Tomo seemed different. _For someone who grew up without any parents, you sure do have some good manners_, she thought. He returned a short time later, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"You need help with anything else?"

Why don't you go check on Wanta please? He's the dog outside," she asked politely. Tomo gave a mock salute and marched for the front door. Maybe having one more person around the house wouldn't hurt.

Breakfast was unusually noisy this morning. Most times they would all chose to eat in a relative, and comfortable silence. Just enjoying the company, and mere presence of the others. But with the arrival of a new house guest, everyone was too excited and finding ti too difficult to remain quiet for even short periods of time. One by one the other members of the household awoke. First being Nana, next Mayu, then Kohta, who had to aggressively forced out of bed by Yuka. The others were sure Lucy had awoken as well, but since she did not come down, everyone decided she'd rather be left alone. They all gave Tomo a friendly "good morning", then proceeded to the dining room where he was hit with a horde of questions. When someone would take a break long enough to eat some food or drink some tea, one of the others would seize on the opportunity to ask him another question. Some of them might have been kind of personal and rude, but he answered them all the same with energy and a smile.

Yuka had to admit Tomo was growing on her quickly, and from the way the others were acting, they felt the same. He had this charisma that just made him likeable. He was funny, kind, polite, and very open. And Yuka felt girly for thinking it, but he was cute too.

"So you've really been to Tokyo," Mayu asked in awe.

"Sure have. But I didn't really like it much there."

"Why not," Kohta asked, curious as to how anyone could not like such a historic and well known city. Ever since Nana had started living there they always talked about going somewhere together on a vacation. And Tokyo had been one of many suggestions, but they decided against it quickly for being to expensive for them.

"Too crowded," Tomo answered. The rest of the meal went exactly like this, as the others wished to know more and more about their new, traversed friend. He regaled them with many stories about his travels through the country, about all the sights he had seen and people he'd met. Listening to him, you wouldn't think he'd suffered the tragedy of being abandoned by his parents at all. Or at least Yuka didn't think so. His life sounded adventurous and fun. He was so...worldly.

"I hate to break up the fun conversation," Yuka said, putting her fork down neatly beside her plate as she finished eating, "But we need to talk about what your jobs going to be."

"What do you mean," Tomo asked confusedly, "I helped out this morning."

"Yes, but we all have individual jobs too," Kohta interjected.

"Such as," Tomo pressed on.

"I take care of the shopping," Yuka answered first, sounding proud of herself. They each took in turn to name for Tomo the job that was specific for them. After they had finished, Tomo looked around the room as if hoping a way to contribute would jump out at him once he saw it. His vision turned to the cherry tree in the garden, its branches dancing in the breeze.

"Can I look after the garden," he asked hopefully, still looking out the door.

"Deal," Yuka stated. After finishing breakfast and another barrage of questions, Tomo stood in the light of the garden surveying what had just now become his responsibility. With Kohta and the others handling clean up duty, Yuka joined Tomo for some fresh air, standing behind him in the door frame between the garden and dining room. He looked slowly from left to right, seeming machine like almost.

"It's beautiful isn't it," she said coming up beside him.

"It sure is," he replied as he continued to take the garden in. Yuka tilted back and forth on her heels, trying to find something to start a conversation.

"Can I ask you something," Tomo said before she could say anything.

"Sure."

"What does she do here?"

"Excuse me," Yuka said, unsure of who he meant.

"You know, the girl I saved. Lucy," Tomo explained.

"Oh," Yuka spat distastefully, not bothering to hide her contempt. "Nothing really. Just sit up in her room all day. And she hardly talks to anyone but Kohta." Yuka then went on a long rant about Lucy, releasing months of unsaid frustration in a single moment. What surprised her most was that she was telling all of this to a person she'd only just met a day ago, and only really started liking a few hours before. "We try to get closer to her, but nothing gets through to her. Something is seriously wrong with that girl."

"Why do you put up with that," Tomo said.

"What do you mean?" Tomo continued scanning the garden.

"You guys told me if I wanted to stay I would have to help around the house. Sounds a bit unfair that she get to stay and not do anything. And if she's not even making an attempt at a relationship with anyone, then why is she here in the first place. Personally I wouldn't let that pass," he pronounced. Yuka considered this to herself for a moment before realizing something. It was unfair. Everyone else had to help out, why not her? If she wasn't going to at least make an effort to be their friend, she could do some house work at the very least. And why had she let it go on for so long was an even more pressing question. Now in a towering temper, deciding enough was enough, she turned and stomped her way inside and upstairs, not noticing Tomo's small smirk.

* * *

Lucy was wide awake, laying on her back, her eyes up toward the ceiling as the fan above spun around in a blur, sounds of the energetic conversation from downstairs wafting their way up to her. It sounded like fun down there, but Lucy did not wish to join them. Her belly growled with hunger, but she waited. That boy was downstairs right now, and despite wanting food, she wished to avoid him more at the moment. She didn't like being around him. It was that name. _Tomo_. That name reminded her of memories she'd just as soon forget. Regrets that she wanted to bury. She was grateful for saving her, and for showing her a kindness only previously shown by Kohta. But that name. She quickly told herself that he was only nice to her because he thought she was human. If she still had her horns, he would have treated her just as poorly the rest of the world did. But then another part of her told her she once thought the same about Kohta. Either way, all she knew was that she felt something with Tomo. An invisible connection between them that was difficult to describe. The fact that she felt anything remotely linking her with him upset her. 

Lucy heard the hard stomps of feet on the steps outside her room and soon thereafter her door was thrown open as Yuka stood on the threshold, looking like she was in a foul mood. _Great_, she thought,_ This is just what I need right now_.

"How long do you plan to stay in bed? You already missed breakfast, the least you can do is help out today." Even though Lucy knew Yuka saw that she was awake, she turned over in her bed and pulled covers over herself completely, hoping Yuka would catch the hint. She didn't. She marched inside and ripped the covers off her with such for she launched them clear across the room. "Get out of bed now!" Unable to ignore her now, Lucy stood up and walked out of her room without giving Yuka any acknowledgement she'd seen or heard her. Yuka stayed close on her heels, still yelling at her all the way down the steps. "Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you! It's about time you started pulling your own weight around here. You know the rules, you either help, or you can't stay."

"I don't think that's your decision," Lucy spat at her as they both stood by the clock.

"What was that," Yuka responded, shocked that Lucy was talking back to her.

"If I recall correctly, this is Kohta's house not yours." Everyone was now watching with baited breath, stopping in their work as the tension between these two mounted like a coming storm. Kohta stood in the hallway looking at them, but was to frightened to try and stop either one.

"My parents rent him this place, so it's _our _house," Yuka retorted. They stood still as statues, their gaze into each others eyes turning malevolent. Like animals ready to pounce.

"This is _Kohta's _house, and if anyone has the right to make this decision it's him," Lucy challenged, looking now at Kohta. She was sure she'd won now. If anyone would come to her aid, it was him.

"Fine, we'll let him decide then," Yuka said while turning a threatening glare at Kohta. Clearly she was under the same line of thinking as Lucy was. Before Kohta could try to escape, Yuka was on him, dragging him gruffly by the arm toward them. "Here Kohta," she said, placing him directly between herself and Lucy, "Tell Lucy she needs to help out more around here." He was unable to speak, shifting his sight between the two arguing girls.

"Tell Yuka she needs to mind her own business," Lucy stated, more to Yuka then to Kohta. He was very distraught from the situation and unsure of whose side to take, certain that either choice would be a losing one on his part.

"Well...maybe you could help out more," Kohta said tentatively. Yuka put her hands at her hips, nodded her head, and starred triumphantly at Lucy. "But you could be a bit nicer," he said to Yuka. Her face looked like she'd been hit in the gut.

"NICER," she shouted, sounding credulous, "Why do you always take her side? She just sits up in her room doing nothing. You said it yourself, if you don't help you can't stay."

"I'm not taking her side. I'm just saying you both could help out in different ways." Kohta was holding up his arms to defend himself from Yuka, afraid she might slap him or punch him as she often did when she was emotional. Yuka continued to scream at him, but Lucy heard none of it. She didn't wish to. While Yuka was busy yelling at him, and Kohta trying with no success to calm her, Lucy snuck outside to the shelter of her favorite tree and hide underneath the shade, burying her head in her knees.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think she has no right to talk to you like that." Lucy didn't need to lift her head to know who said that. He hadn't been here long, but long enough to recognize Tomo's distinct, deep voice quality. She ignored him. This was the last person she wanted to comfort her. All she wanted was to be left alone right now. Left alone to soak in her own misery and loneliness. Tomo stopped whatever it was he was doing and walked over to place a warm hand of her shoulder. Her first instinct was to shake it off, to slap his pitiful attempt at friendship away. But she didn't. Lucy let him keep his hand were it was.

"I don't know what happened to you, and I won't ask" Tomo said, his voice soft and gentle, "But I want you to know your not alone. You have them, and if you'll let me be your friend...you have me too." Tomo held himself there for a moment, then went back to his work. Lucy sat in the shade, mulling over what he'd just said to her. He was right. Yuka had no right to talk to her like that. She didn't understand anything she'd been through. What she was still going through. With new vigor, Lucy stood up and marched off to meet Yuka head on instead of hiding under a tree. As she went, she though to herself, _Maybe he's not so bad after all_.

* * *

Tomo listened as Yuka and Lucy's verbal head butting renewed itself, try hard to stifle the chortle building in his throat. He was bent on his knees in front of a flower bed, rooting in-between the flowers, trying to look busy and like he knew what he was doing. He'd never seen a garden, and thus knew nothing of how to take care of one. He'd have to learn how to though soon, or risk being exposed. But for the moment, he listened and enjoyed the fruits of his other work. 

"This is going to be way too easy."

* * *

_A/N: Well it's three days till Christmas, so I thought I'd take this time to say Happy (insert holiday here). I hope you all have an excellent, whatever holiday you celebrate at this time, and I wish you all to have another wonderful New Year as well._


	10. Chapter 10

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. PLEASE SUBMIT REVIEWS._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 10

Within a week of his arrival to Kaede House, Tomo was already settled into the swing of things and being treated as if he were with them from the beginning. They had a curious interest in him at first, but it would be a lie to say they didn't feel at least some awkwardness. Now that was no longer the case. He had his own daily rut now that the others had come to memorize. He would most likely be the second one up, following either Nana or Yuka. After breakfast, he'd work in the garden until it was lunch time. Then he took a long walk around the neighborhood, and when he came back would either go back to the garden, or help the others. And he did all this with what was regarded as his constant smile, always willing to help any of them when asked. Or at least, that's what he wanted them to think.

The gullibility of these people, including Lucy and Number 7, was something that made Tomo wonder how in this world any of them had survived so long. Suspicious though they must have sounded, they all accepted his story at face value. Looking back now, it was a good thing that, in boredom at the facility, he had listened to the scientist talk while they experimented on him. Their complaints about weather, commuting, and their own personal stories made for good templates for himself to use now. Everything was going so well with his original plan that he found it almost disappointing. It was a full week before the heat from Lucy's and Yuka's verbal bashing of heads died away. Until then, the two refused to say two words to the other, and nobody dared speak the ones name in the presence of the other. But by now they had, more or less, "made up." Tomo knew it was going to take more then that to drive the wedge between them, thus creating the moment he needed to steal Lucy back were she belonged. His walks had proven to be useful on two levels also. One, it was a good way to observe humans and adopt their patterns of behavior he wasn't familiar with. This was how he learned most of the proper techniques and principles for carrying for a garden. And two, it gave him some time away from the house to rest his mind.

Every smile, every friendly word he gave the humans was a disgusting, disgraceful act that made him ashamed of himself. Even pretending to befriend a human. He was finding this to be more torturous then anything he'd ever suffered at the facility. This time was greatly needed to remind himself of why he was here in the first place. To calm his nerves. The most difficult person he had to endure this from was Kohta.

Whenever he would place an arm around Lucy or so much as speak to her, Tomo wanted nothing more then to forget about his mission and rip Kohta's body apart. Very...very...slowly. But he could tell that Lucy greatly much cared for Kohta, and killing him would probably not help his chances at convincing her to leave with him. But their relationship was so far the biggest obstacle he had to find someway of overcoming. But for now, he'd just shallow his pride and let it go. For now.

_**You should just kill him now**_, the voice suggested while out on his most recent afternoon walk, the sun bright and its rays powerful on him. The sky was a sea of blue, with almost no cloud cover to cool the summer sun. But Tomo ignored it. The hate burning within was hotter then any star. He'd just seen Kohta give Lucy an affectionate peck on the cheeks, sending angry through his veins so powerful it burned him and boiled his blood. In that moment, Tomo's diclonius instinct to kill had never been stronger. He wanted to kill them all. To listen to their last cries of death while his vectors painted the house with their blood and decorated it with their guts. He quickly left for his walk without saying anything to anyone before it became to powerful.

"Not yet," he said cravingly, lusting he could do just what the voice suggested.

_**Why not? If you kill him, then nothing can come between you and Lucy**_, the voice edged him on, its tone bland, yet surprisingly demonic. And with every word it spoke, he felt his instincts becoming harder and harder to suppress as it began to envelop him. He could imagine the boys lifeless body laying at his feet even now. The image was very satisfying..

"He will...but not now!"

_**Do you want him to win Lucy for himself? **_Another wave of angry swelled up inside him. Though not aimed at the voice, but at Kohta. Lucy was his. No one else could have her. How dare a weak human think he and a diclonius could be together. It was the ultimate blasphemy. Like a human longing for an angel.

"NO," Tomo shouted. He breathed in deeply through the nose, then released it slowly through the mouth. He repeated this process until his temper had been quelled. And soon, the lusting was gone. "The time isn't right," he said composedly, his fury now fully subsided. He resumed his walk, heading now back for Kaede House. He paced in and out of the shade cast by trees and the surrounding houses, enjoying the changes for cool to warm. Reaching the outer gate, he took one more deep inhale and exhale, comprising his fake smile, and opening the door with his now signature energy.

* * *

Nana sat on her heels as they stuck out from behind her sandals with the pink ribbon in the front. She was on the stone pathway leading from the gate by the dog house, pouring in a pile of dried dog food for Wanta into his bowl. It was hard trying to feed him the proper portions (which she had only just recently learned), as he kept sticking his head into the bowl, trying to devour his food before she was done.

"You must be hunger," she laughed at him as a small amount of food was kicked over the edge of his bowl. After finally managing to give him food, Nana wiped away a droplet of sweat from her brow, looking up at the suns rays as the came in through the gaps in the trees branches. She removed the blue shirt she was currently wearing, revealing a mauve tank top underneath, hoping to expose her skin to a cool, and currently nonexistent breeze. The gate was thrown open, catching her attention as Tomo came inside, wiping away sweat from his face also.

"Woo, it's a hot one today," he said emphatically.

"No kidding," Nana agreed, petting Wanta on the head as he ate spiritedly, spilling more of the bowls contents on the ground then in his belly. As Tomo came down the walkway, his shadowy silhouette lingered for a moment once he came in line with Nana.

"What's that," he asked. Nana looked up at him confused at his question. He pointed toward the area of her arm just below the shoulder. She looked at where his finger had gestured and felt her heart sink as she saw a small, barely visible joint line and a small change of skin tone between her shoulder and arm. _Oh no_. She had completely forgotten about her prosthetics.

"Oh um...this is...um," she stumbled. She was by no means prepared for this question or situation. She had no idea of how to explain this to him. How could she have forgotten? She guessed that she was just so used to the others knowing she no longer noticed it herself. She hadn't needed a reason to hide them anymore. But now, how to explain it to Tomo? Nana remembered Kohta telling them a somewhat "fragmented" version of things when Lucy finally came back. But no one found it necessary to say anything about this to Tomo. He didn't know anything, and it probably would have been better if it stayed that way.

"Are those fake," he asked sounding astonished as he brought his gaze closer to the where her flesh and limb joined. She did not look at him. This was not out of embarrassment or shame. It was because she was desperately trying to think of a good lie. Unfortunately, fibbing was not her strong point.

"How do you control these?" He squinted his eyes as though inspecting them, and was so close now his nose was almost touching. Nana sighed heavily. There was no other way.

"I need to tell you something," she said looking into his deep blue eyes, her face grave. She used the next several minutes to explain about how she and Lucy were diclonius, how Lucy had tore her body apart, how she'd killed many innocents, and everything else she and the others and been hiding from him. Unlike when she told these things to Mayu, who appeared horror struck, Tomo just starred back at her almost disbelievingly.

"Let me get this straight," he started, "Your both these...diclonius things? Your born with these horns, and four invisible hands that have a lot of strength and can cut through anything?" Nana nodded at everything he was saying, confirming he had heard right. "But Lucy lost her horns somehow? And with these hands, Lucy cut off your arms and legs, killed several other people, and you just let her live with you? Yup that makes all the sense in the world." His blatant sarcasm on that last statement was not lost on her, even though she was relatively new to the term. She stood up, twisting at the joint of her left arm to release it. Using one of her vectors, she grasped the limb out of her connected arm, letting it float for a second. Tomo's faced widened with awe, as Nana was sure he saw nothing holding up her arm as though a grim specter were there carrying it. Feeling she made her point, she attached her arm with a click.

"Our vectors can also stop most bullets and ammunition," she further expounded on. Tomo was at a lost for words and look almost fearful. "But I've never used my vectors for bad. I'm a good girl," she added quickly in as sweet and gentle a voice as she could muster.

"Why didn't anyone tell me," Tomo demanded, finally believing her.

"It wasn't that we were hiding it, it's just...difficult to explain," she said, sounding disappointed with her excuse. It was hardly a acceptable reason to keep from someone they were living with a former, possibly still, murderer. Luckily, Tomo seemed to accept her reason, as the temper slowly rising in his face lessened, replaced by a more serious expression.

"What about Lucy," he asked cautiously. Nana was even more uncertain how to answer that one. She wanted to immediately put on a smile and say that Lucy was a good person now. To say there was no need to worry and that she no longer used her vectors against humans. But she wasn't so sure herself these days. She diverted her eyes from him again, as her gentleness in her face was lost to and marked with doubt. She decided on the truth. Tomo deserved that much.

"I'm not sure," she said, "I want to believe she's a good person, but..." She grasped the joint of her arm, remembering how Lucy ripped her body to shreds, even after she was defeated and asked for mercy. She still remembered that look in her eyes. Like a fire colder then ice. Not something you forget easily. The memory could now instill fear inside her.

"What do you mean you don't know, you live with her! And you still let her live with you guys after all you told me she's done!" He sounded both amazed and appalled at their recklessness. Nana's face fell even more. Tomo knelt down next to her, placing a brotherly hand on her shoulder. His hand, despite the summer weather, felt cold and clammy.

"Look Nana, I've traveled to a lot of different places. I've seen many things, and if I learned one thing from all of those experiences it's that a tiger doesn't change its strips," he said, trying to comfort her.

"What does that mean," she asked, not sure what he meant by that. She wasn't even sure she knew what a tiger was either. But she did know what strips were. Tomo sighed pityingly before going on.

"What I mean is that a person can't change who, or what they are," he explained, sounding a bit irritated, "Like yourself for example. You'll always be a diclonius, and you can't change that. And Lucy will always be a murderer. You can't change the past Nana and you can't change what's inside you." Nana had been wrestling with this very thought for months now. She wanted to trust Lucy, to be her friend and believe she'd changed. But as Tomo just stated, you can't change the past. And her more then shady past was too stained with blood to ignore.

"Well I'm going to go do some work in the garden," Tomo said as he rose from his knees. Just before he shut the front door behind him, he turned back to Nana. "Let me ask you something, do you trust her?" It was a cruel thing to ask. It was exactly what her inner voices were battling over right this very moment.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. Tomo looked disappointed at her.

"Well, if I were you, I'd keep an eye on her. Your the only one who can stop her if she hasn't changed," he advised before finally leaving her to her thoughts. His words felt like a heavy weight on her mind and conscience. What if Lucy wasn't changed? Would she kill again? Would it be someone from Kaede House? And if it was, then their death would be all her fault. Papa had told her to do whatever it took to be happy, and she was endangering that by allowing Lucy to stay here. And she could have been the one to prevent it, to save them. Dread began rising in her as though it were eating her from the inside. But then Nana remembered something. She recalled all the times Lucy and Kohta had been together. And, even though it was faint, she saw a small sliver of happiness in Lucy.

"Everything's going to be fine," she told herself. What was even sadder, was how feverishly she was trying to force herself to believe it.

* * *

Nana was alone in the hallway with no clue has to how, or why she was there in the first place. No sound could be heard from anywhere inside. Even the natural sounds of her own body, such as her breathing and heartbeat seemed muted. The house was as eerily silent and foreboding as a graveyard. Outside the sun was bright, casting its rays through the windows. Then, the light turned as swiftly to darkness as a candle being flickered out of existence the wind. The house began to rumble, but still Nana did not move. She wondered why she was not running for cover and instead seemed content to stay rooted as the rumbling became stronger and more violent. The house was still again. Nana felt the small pressure of some liquid dripping on the top of her head. She reached up to wipe the crown of her skull with her palm and felt a warm, oozy substance. Brining her hand back to examine what had dripped on her, she saw her entire hand was a dark crimson. It was blood.

Nana looked all around her as mountains of blood gushed from the walls and fell from the ceiling. The blood began dripping and falling heavier, covering everything, and herself in blood. As the blood ran down her arms and legs, the house began to shake with more vigor then it did previously. She screamed in terror and bolted for the upstairs, hoping to find the others. Screaming their names one after the other, she looked inside all the rooms to find them empty, save for the puddles of blood now filling them. Nana ran back downstairs, slipping on the red soaked stairs as she did. She tumbled painfully down them, banging her head many times against the mahogany wood. She clumsily got onto her feet once she reached the bottom landing, running frantically to search for the others. She searched the kitchen, the bathroom, and still found no sign of them. Starting to feel apprehensive that she would never find them, she finally came to the living room. And it was there that she found them. Kohta, Yuka, Mayu, Tomo, and even Wanta were sprawled out everywhere.

This room was not bleeding like the others, but was still just as red as the rest of them. In every corner of the room, she could see a different limb or body part scattered about randomly. Some parts were so mangled they were unrecognizable. But sitting in the center of the room, placed in a neat circle, were their heads, their eyes lifeless and empty. Standing in the middle of that circle, was a solitary figure. Even a mist all this murder and violence, her clothes and body were clean and unstained with blood. She looked up at Nana, her face a mixture of insane pleasure and lust.

Lucy gazed at Nana, who was shocked into submission. She started to laugh dementedly, starting barely audible, then rising to a crescendo. Nana wanted to run, but was bound to stare at the heads of her family laid out ritualistically at Lucy's feet. Then she felt it. A blunt, sharpness cutting into her, her arm being sliced away as blood sprinkled forth from the open wound. She fell to the floor in agony, clutching her arms as the house continued to vibrate and blood rained down on her, both from her wound and the house. Almost tauntingly, Lucy slowly stepped forward. Nana begged for her to stop, that she didn't want to feel anymore pain, but then she felt that same sharpness cutting at her leg. She screamed to the heavens, her yells muffled down to nothing by Lucy's continued cackling.

* * *

Number 7 tossed and turned violently in her bed, her body sweating profusely. Tomo stood just at the head of her bed, one of his vectors extended and inserted very precisely into her brain. It was a neat little trick he learned while at the island. By placing his vectors into the part of the brain that controlled dreaming of a sleeping person and vibrating it only so slightly, emitting a signal similar to that of sound waves sent out by bats, he could force that person to dream about whatever it was he wanted. From reliving a horrible memory, to bringing to life their worst fears. It took an impressive mastery of vectors to perform however. If he vibrated them too much, then their brain would explode from the inside out. If he placed a vector in the wrong place, then he could rupture a blood vessel, killing them instantly. It required a remarkable amount of precision. Tomo smiled to himself at how easy it was to him while he watched Number 7 turn over again and again underneath her covers. Deciding he'd done enough for one night, he removed his vector from her brain, her body still jerking between grunts. He watched her for a moment, enjoying the lasting effect it was having on her.

"That should be enough for her to see my point," he mumbled proudly as he walked toward her bedroom door. Just as he was about to close the door behind himself, he looked back to watch her one more time as she whispered "no more pain."

"Sweet dreams now," he said childlike as he slowly walked back to his room, leaving behind a still convulsing Nana.


	11. Chapter 11

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews with your honest opinion. But no flames._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 11

Breakfast the following morning felt more subdued and quiet then usual to Yuka. But there was no awkwardness, nor apprehension between them. And yet, something seemed off. She attributed this to the fact that they eating with one less person this morning. When Nana still had not awaken after Kohta, who was generally the last one up, Yuka decided to check on her and see if she was ok. It certainly was a good thing she did, as she found Nana's clothes soaked through with her sweat, her forehead running a high fever. No doubt she was sick and Yuka demanded she spend the rest of the day in bed, assuring her that she would bring soup up to her later. And of course Lucy, sick or not, ate her breakfast alone in her bedroom. So it was only herself, Kohta, Mayu, and Tomo at the table.

"How's she feeling," Tomo asked after taking a sip of his tea.

"Nana's not feeling good today," she replied solemnly. It was very strange indeed. In the short time Yuka had known her, Nana had appeared to be extremely healthy and not one to get sick often. But Yuka was just worrying too much. It was only a small fever, and everyone got sick once in a while, no matter how healthy. "I'm going to the store to get her some medicine and a few other things," she informed the others as she made to pick up some of the empty plates now littering the table. Kohta was about to jump to his feet, assisting Yuka with the dishes and speed their departure. She always drug him around whenever she went on errands, even if she didn't need his help. But Kohta couldn't deny he enjoyed her company, however overbearing she could be at times. "Tomo, do you want to join me?"

"WHAT," Kohta shouted, causing Mayu to jump, while Tomo choked on his most recent sip of tea. This was surprising to the others to be sure. Yuka never invited anyone else to join her, preferring either Kohta or just going by herself.

"Why me," Tomo protested after a coughing fit.

"Because we need to get you some new clothes. The stuff Kohta is lending you looks too small." Due to his being taller and having a wider build, Tomo was a bit bigger and the clothes were truthfully a bit on the tight side. But he never complained, content with what he was given.

"They feel just fine," he said despairingly, lifting his arms and turning side to side, as if modeling the fact that they fit him perfectly. But Yuka would hear none of it.

"What about all the weeds in the flower beds," he further protested, hoping for an excuse to stay here.

"You can do that when we get back," she shrugged off easily.

"Why don't you take Kohta?" Kohta looked hopefully at Yuka, silently begging her to agree. It had been awhile since he and Yuka had done anything together just the two of them. He knew he'd been ignoring her as of late, and wanted the chance to make up for it. And while he and Lucy were in a serious relationship (more or less), he still really liked Yuka.

"He has work to do here. Now your coming with me whether you want to or not," she commanded, pulling Tomo by the forearm to his feet. She continued to guide him along as she placed the empty plates on the kitchen counter with her free hand, went for her purse hanging off the coat tree in the hall, and stopping at the foot of the stairs to call up to Lucy. "Since Nana's sick do you think you could manage to do some of her chores today," she asked a little too aggressively. There was a weak reply which she took as a yes before calling to the others still in the dining room to finish up clean up for her, then walking out the door, dragging Tomo close behind her. Kohta watched them as they left, a small hint of regret and jealousy in his eyes.

Given the fact that going to the store is usually such a simple and monotonous task, Yuka had never had so much doing shopping before in her life. Dragging Tomo all around the store, asking for his opinion about market sales while he pouted about being forced to come was oddly relaxing. She shrugged off his constant complaining, enjoying the pleasure of his company. The most interesting part about this miniature journey was when they reached the clothes department. Yuka felt like a little girl again playing dress up with a life size doll. She would nearly clean the racks of any clothing, forcing several types of shirts and pants for him to try on. And every time he came out of the dressing room, hoping to be finished, she would force a new selection upon him, insisting that they were almost done. After about what felt like the millionth time saying that what he had on look good for him, his face was nearly as red as half the shirts he tried on. Unfortunately, their budget wouldn't allow for them to purchase half the things she had hoped for, instead settling for some moderately priced shirts, pants, and most importantly...underwear.

"And some of that stuff looked really good on you too," Yuka complained as the left the store, both their hands carrying bags full of groceries.

"Can we talk about something else please," Tomo scoffed at her gently, his face even redder with embarrassment.

"Did I embarrass you," she asked jokingly.

"EMBARRASS," he shout in a whisper, "You wouldn't even let me pick out my own underwear!" Yuka snickered at this, thinking it did sound a bit mortifying for a girl to pick out a boys underpants, however unintentional it may have been. Tomo's face was starting to turn a even sharper red as she continued to laugh.

"Stop laughing at me," he demanded of her.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, "It's just that Kohta's never been very comfortable with other people wearing his clothes." This appeared to have settled the matter because Yuka had stopped laughing, and Tomo's face gradually turned back to its normal color. The two walked side by side in silence until Tomo, now half way home, spoke up.

"Can I ask you something Yuka?"

"Sure," she replied politely.

"Are you in love with Kohta?" She stumbled on her feet, blindsided by the unexpectedness of the question. He swung his arm around to catch her from falling to her knees, his bag swing in the air from the momentum. "Is that a yes?"

Yuka righted herself before answering, but instead of directly saying yes, she found herself having to think about it for a moment. It was true she did love Kohta romantically, but had long since given up on the prospect of it ever being requited. Or at least, she thought that was how she felt. Normally when anyone asked her this she answered with well practiced instantaneous reflexes and would become very emotional. But now, standing here with Tomo, it felt rather silly to feel so emotional over a boy who would never return her feelings. It felt like a story that had been told so many times that it now became uninteresting. "I used to," she finally answered plainly.

"What do you mean 'used to'," Tomo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you know...he likes Lucy," she said casually.

"Do you like anyone else?" Yuka felt even more girly as she felt the heat in her face rise, now trying to hide the fact that it was now her face turning red with embarrassment. But why did the question embarrass her? It was a perfectly fair question for some to ask in this type of conversation. Deciding it wasn't important, she went with the first thing that popped into her head.

"Nope." They spent the rest of the walk in spirited conversation, Yuka, for the first time in a long while, not thinking about Kohta at all.

* * *

Were it not for the faint hue of light radiating from the computer screen, the room would have been shrouded in a veil of blackness. The white light was surprisingly illuminating for the rooms titanic size, as Arakawa could visibly see a good portion of the computer lab. She typed furiously at the keyboard, breaking past firewalls, security locks, and all other manners of protection a computer could possibly have. One of the benefits of being a scientist she guessed. You become pretty adept with technology. In her early days, she'd already been a "techno geek" some would say, even before discovering her talent in the natural sciences. That being said, it only seemed natural that she also became a fairly skilled hacker at an early age. She used to enjoy pitting her skills against any system she could find. Nothing criminal of course, just your average pranks for a net diver. Hacking into personal files on the internet, breaking past restricted sites, and things of that nature. Now, as a scientific researcher, her knowledge of the high-tech world had only increased, though she'd given up her hacking days.

She smiled reminiscently that her skills had not rusted over the years of neglect. She typed with practiced speed on the buttons of the keyboard, searching through the machines limitless mainframe for any kind of clue as to what Kakuzawa might be up to. All files pertaining to the diclonius had been deleted, according to the computers memory banks. But she knew better then that. Another fact she learned as a scientist was that information, even from a failed experiment, was too valuable to just simply throw away. All that meant was that the files were being hidden somewhere, being protected from unauthorized eyes.

After what felt like hours of breaking into many different systems and turning up empty handed, Arakawa was coming exceedingly close to giving up. Then there, discreetly placed in the bottom left corner of the screen was a small folder with the heading Subject Files, the title reflecting in her glasses. Feeling a sense of anticipation, she moved the mouse to the small icon and double clicked. Instantly, the screen filled with information. She read the first file, a picture of a despondent looking young girl with pink hair looking tearfully back at her.

_Subject: Silpelit_

_Gender: Female_

_Age: 5_

_Serial Number: SP 113-4816_

_Designation: Number 3_

_Status: Terminated_

_Subject is discovered near the Kanagawa prefecture. Obtained cooperatively from parents at hospital. Subject displays the usual physical characteristics of a diclonius, including horned protrusions. Vectors are also confirmed. Research commences to study the qualities of her vectors. Length still stands at average two meters in length. No changes. Subject is unable to reproduce like other silpelits. Study was being conducted to study subjects strength. However, during study, Number 3 broke free of her restraints. Several personnel are killed in the process. Subject is terminated. Believed to have been masking true potential. Intelligence far surpasses age. Autopsy forgone due to cranial damage suffered from Chief Kakuzawa to subdue her. Body is burned. Two research members come into physical contact with vectors, but appear to have no side effects as of yet. Research soon to begin on sibling, Number 7._

She read on, ignoring the fact that the professors name had just crossed her eyes. The file went on into more detailed aspects of the research, but nothing of super interest that Arakawa didn't already know. She knew about the research being done. What she needed to know was why? But she didn't lose hope. This would be a good place to start. Using the mouse, she scrolled down to read the next subject file.

* * *

Kakuzawa stood erect, looking at the video monitors that covered the wall before him. He was paying special attention to the one focused on a young, dark haired women as she sat inside the computer lab on Level 3. He smiled at her, both surprised and amused by her boldness. When they first met, he thought she was far too mousy and never seemed like the one to take such initiative. But she was still foolish to think he didn't know what was going on inside his own laboratory. Here, he was God. And like God with his earthly kingdom, nothing happened without his knowing. But still, her attempt amused him. She continued to scroll down the forbidden information that was beyond her clearance to access. Normally, this would be the time when he'd act on his instincts to kill this person who dared to go against him. But the situation had changed. She held something precious inside her now, and he needed her to continue his son's search for the virus. Besides, even if she found the whole truth, there was nothing she could do about it. And he had his little "trump card" to play against her should she become a threat. So for now, he'd let her do as she pleases.

He caressed the smooth glass screen as it projected a tiny version of her face close up, feeling those masculine desires again. It had been years since he allowed himself the pleasure of a women. The touch of bare skin, the sound of her groans and grunts, and smell of her hair. These were stirrings he'd almost forgotten about. And to relive them, was very pleasant. However far below him she may have been, he still felt those old, somewhat boyish longings of sexual lust. But he could not give in to them yet. There were far more important things that needed to be done first. Turning off the wall of screens, he turned to leave, thinking that she should consider herself fortunate. After all, no many mothers get to say their child will be the future ruler of the world.


	12. Chapter 12

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Also, I would like to send a special thank you to _**The Silent Watchman **_for beta reading this and all future chapters. With his help, I'll be able to continue to produce chapters that are worthy of your attention. I highly recommend any who like this story to read his, _"We Walk the Banks of the River Acheron."

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 12

Lucy had to admit, the day wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Yuka and Tomo had spent most of the day shopping, and Mayu had taken on the duty of taking care of the sick Nana. So for most of the day, Lucy and Kohta had been left to themselves. There were a lot of chores to be done to keep up with the house, and Lucy couldn't very well leave them all for Kohta, so she took Yuka's advice and actually did some work. It was a bit shameful that Kohta had to follow her around for nearly every job she performed, as she didn't know how to do many things, let alone house work. But it was a good excuse for them to spend time together none the less. She'd blush as he would take her hand into his and guide her in the proper motions to cleaning the hardwood floors. She never imagined doing chores could be so...enjoyable. But like all good things, it had to end sometime.

Yuka and Tomo returned sometime after lunch, arms heavy with bags. They helped them with unloading the groceries, then returned to work. Yuka seemed intent on separating Lucy from Kohta, giving her separate chores to do, claiming it'd be too much of a distraction for her and Kohta to work together. This seemed rather hypocritical, as Yuka fully permitted Tomo and herself to work side by side. She even allowed (or rather forced) him to help her prepare their evening meal, which his cooking was even more deplorable then Nana's had originally been. But to avoid another argument, Lucy simply obeyed Yuka's command to work separately. Now sitting up in her room after dinner, which was only barely edible, the day was almost over and she was both exhausted both physically and mentally. She sat on her pillow, a small music box open on her bed as she listened to the melancholy, familiar tune. Kohta had been nice enough to give it to her once she returned to Kaede House, calling it a "homecoming" gift. He remembered how much she loved it when they were kids, and it always brought her peace when she listened to it, despite the contrast of emotions it suggested. The music slowed as it crept to a halt in mid tune. Lucy took it in her hands, winding the gears to restart the music.

"Guess who," came the voice of a certain, unwanted boy from beyond the door. Not waiting for a reply, the door opened as Tomo came in displaying some of his newly bought clothes, which now fit him perfectly. "How do I look?"

"Fine," she said unenthusiastically. Lucy turned to face him just in time to see a smal green orb the size of a baseball flying at her face. She caught it just as it was about to smash into her nose.

"Nice reflexes," Tomo complimented as he took a large bite out of the apple he brought for himself. Lucy placed the apple at her side, her stomach still twisting from Tomo's sad idea of supper and probably not able to tolerate more food yet. Not asking for permission, he waltzed inside and plopped himself directly in front of her. His hair, no longer in its usual ponytail, was now long and wet, a damp towel hanging around his neck. "Man, aren't baths the best thing ever?" She didn't answer. The silence between them was only broken by the loud, obnoxious chewing as Tomo took another large bite out of his snack. "Why do you hate me Lucy?"

The music box gave another, very timely stop as Lucy looked at him, stunned by the suddenness of this question, though her face showed nothing of it.

"Excuse me?"

"Why do you hate me," he repeated.

"And what makes you think I hate you," Lucy asked, sounding offended by his presumption.

"Well, I've been here for awhile now and you never say two words to me. And whenever I try to talk to you, you don't show much interest," he explained with a tint of hurt. Lucy eyed him strangely, a small sliver of regret creeping up on her. It was true she didn't much care for him, but if you could call it anything, it would be indifference rather then out right hate. Something else she didn't much care for were when people got the wrong impression about her. But then again, people had never understood her most of her life anyway.

"I don't hate you," she said, picking up the apple next to her.

"Then why don't you talk to me?" She rolled the apple around in her palm, questioning how comfortable she was with telling him anything.

"Its your name," she replied. The way Tomo's face was torn in confusion told her he didn't understand why something so simple and miniscule as a name could be cause enough for someone to distance themselves from another. Although this wasn't miniscule or simple to her.

"What about my name?"

Lucy hung her head tragically, looking at the mute music box and still playing with the apple as if it were a toy. Why did this always have to happen whenever _he_ was around? She felt the rush of memories stream back into her consciousness. _Whatever you need I'm there for you. You must be a monster cause you're totally not a human. You don't laugh, you don't cry, you're really creepy. You know who isn't human...PEOPLE LIKE YOU!_

"Are you ok," Tomo asked concernedly.

"It's none of your business," she shot at him, now honestly hating him for bringing back such regretful memories. He just sighed in defeat.

"Well I won't ask what happened then, but you don't have to be alone." He edged himself closer to put a hand on her shoulder. "There are people who care about you. Kohta, Mayu, Nana, and even Yuka, despite your constant fighting. And I want to be your friend too," he said almost pleadingly. Lucy shook his hand off her, still hugging her knees and looking at her bare feet. Tomo took this as his cue to leave.

"By the way, that's a pretty song," he said, Lucy now remembering the music box that had been playing when he first entered. "What's it called?"

"Lilium."

"Really. Did you know that they say lilies appear in places where people who have regrets live."

"What about you, do you have any regrets," Lucy asked him. Tomo suddenly became very silent, his face deep and distant. Without answering, he walked toward the sliding door to leave.

"Goodnight," he said.

As the door slide shut to mark his exit, Lucy thought deeply about his parting words. There hade been several attempts by the others to include her as a member of Kaede House. But the fear that rotted her heart prevented her from making much effort to reciprocate. Fear that she might one day repeat his past sins. And she was so tired of feeling alone. Like she was in a crowded room where everyone refused to acknowledge her being. But did she deserve the happiness of a normal life?

Perhaps this was her punishment. If so, then there would be nothing she could do to change it. Any and all attempts would prove fruitless and a waste. And still, she wanted to try. When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose. If at the least, she'd learn the truth. Could she live with the past behind her? Or was suffering a destiny breed into her bones. She read the gold lettering of the plaque that decorated the lid of the hand-sized box. _Lilium? _Placing it back on its designated spot of her night stand, with apple in hand, she went downstairs to join the others.

* * *

Arakawa leaned back in her chair, heaving a cry of frustrated grief. This was the same seat, at the same computer, in the same lab that she had been widely digging for information for the past several nights now. And each of those nights had turned up as unproductive as the other. She must have read over a dozen different diclonius files and research reports. But there was very little difference between them. One such difference was that Number 4 had developed the ability to disable another diclonius's vectors by inserting one of her own into their frontal lobe, the control center for vectors. As boundlessly interesting this was, it did little to give her a clear path as to what Kakuzawa was after. The other reports all turned out to be bland and boring. She was hoping to find a report on that one diclonius who escaped, but still and yet to locate it.

She growled under her breath and ruffled her hair in irritation. _And it looked so easy on TV. _She did notice an continuity however, that all subjects were female. It was odd thinking about it now, but in her entire time studying the disease, she could remember it be contracting by a single male. After yet another file that was so much like the others Arakawa had memorized it after one read, she was about ready to call it a night. But reaching the bottom of the screen, she saw an icon that was unlike the others. Instead of a simple folder, this one resembled a giant "D" made up of two black serpents, each feasting on the tail of the other.

"D-Project," she read the heading aloud.

Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs she feared it might crack a bone. It even sounded foreboding. Certainly this would lead her to something. Without hesitation she opened the file, her heart rate increasing rapidly as the mouse icon moved closer. The picture of a man with sandy brown, and a surly looking veneer appeared.

Subject: Bandoh Kuroda

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Height: 6 feet 0 inches

Weight: 187 lbs.

D-Project officially begins. Diclonius cells are extracted from the tissue of silpelit subjects. Experiment is to test how these cells react when introduce into a human host. First subject is an applicant for the Special Assault Team, Bandoh Kuroda. During medical examination, cells are injected into subjects body without his knowledge. He is then carefully observed for several months. Subjects displays symptoms of increased stamina and reflexes, as well as heightened aggression and desire for violence. However, no further changes have occurred. Of all the subjects in the controlled group, he is the only one to survive. All other subjects bodies rejected the cells, damaging their immune system. Placed as elite member of SAT unit in order to keep under close observation. Project is scrapped.

"It was a way to see if we could synthesize the diclonius gene and create them artificially." Arakawa didn't need to look around to see to whom the icy voice belonged. Still, the surprise at hearing the voice caused her to spin around in her chair so fast she toppled over, landing hard on her butt. Stepping out of the shadows, his hands clasped behind him, standing menacingly was Director Kakuzawa. _How long has he been there. _She tried desperately, and in vain, to close the window screen of the computer, but it was too late. He'd apparently been there all along. What he said only confirmed that he knew why she was here. Her fate was sealed.

"But as you see," he said, stepping more into the light, "It didn't have the effect I was hoping for. Instead, he only became a more violent brute. He later proved to have the ability to slightly see vectors. Interesting yes, but irrelevant. So I canceled the project." He continued his slow advance, seemingly oblivious to Arakawa's continually stumbling body. He now was directly beside her, starring reverently at the computer. Trying to gain some balance in her legs, she wondered why he was telling her this. Obviously, he was going to tell her all his secrets just before he disposed of her.

"Why would you want to create artificial diclonius," she asked. He ignored her and continued.

"But I continued my research. I studied as many silpelits as this facility would permit. I did this for two reasons. One, so I would know their weakness should any of them turn against me. And two, because some silpelits have proven to have unique traits, Like Number 35 and Number 7 did. I wanted to see if I could adapt those abilities for myself. You see...my dear...the reason I'm looking for the virus is so I can become a pure blooded diclonius." As he said this, he tore away the wig that hide his small horns and bald head, his eyes wide with madness.

"What," she said in horrified awe.

"Look at me. I am one of God's chosen ones. But my diclonius gene has been watered down by my disgusting human ancestry. But with your help, I'll be pure once more, and finish the holy crusade God has given us."

"Why are you telling me this," Arakawa asked, her voice trembling. His lips curved into a proud smile.

"Because if your going to be my new chief, you'll need to know the truth," he told her.

"Chief?!"

"I am in great need of your abilities, and an official title will be helpful to your progress."

"And why should I help you," she demanded, trying to bring out as much courage as she could underneath all her mounting fear. Her legs were shivering so violently she could hardly stand properly. Kakuzwa's grin now widened more, baring his teeth like a lion about to strike.

"Well, then I shall have to go back on our little agreement," he said plainly.

"What agreement," she asked, trying to remain brave.

"I said I'd keep you alive...so long as I had your **full **cooperation in the place of my son," Kakuzawa said arrogantly, striding over to her with power in every step. Mere inches in front of her, his towering form eclipsed what little light the room held. "If you go back on her word, then I will most surely have to go back on mine."

Arakawa was defeated. If she wanted to live, she had no choice but to submit to him. And she knew from experience that he was not one to waste time with bluffing. The look his eyes were now giving were enough to banish any further doubts...if she had any to begin with.

"Why don't you just kill me now," she asked. Kakuzawa placed a hand on her belly, Arakawa flinching under the coldness of his touch that penetrated through her thin layers of clothing. His eyes narrowed.

"I need a child to carry on my legacy, once I am gone and should something unforseen happen." Her memory reeled back to the moment of their last "private" meeting. Realization hit her with enough to throw her off the balance she only just got back. "Call it a fail safe. Your lucky, the world will be reborn, and you'll be a witness to it all. A rare honor." Suddenly, Arakawa felt a nauseous feeling in the bowels of her stomach. He turned his back on her to leave, stopping just short of the door.

"Oh, and you can stop pretending you haven't found that boy yet. I know you've been hiding his picture under your bed. But it doesn't matter anymore. Soon Lucy will be back where she belongs." The door to the outside hall shot open, flooding the room with a sudden intensity of light. "Now get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow." And with that, the door closed and plunged the room back into near shadow.

It had all been for nothing. Kakuzawa had known everything from the start. Even before she herself decided, he was already one step ahead of her. He even knew that she found the boy who'd seen Professor Kakuzawa's decapitated body. How he could have found that out was so unnerving she didn't want to know. Arakawa fell to her hands and knees in a helpless slump. Just when she thought she was finally going to make a difference. It didn't matter anymore now. He had her on his leash. A subservient dog. Now matter what she knew now or would soon find out, she could do nothing about it. And for the first time since she came here, Arakawa started to cry.

* * *

_A/N: I would like to note that Bandoh's surname I use is NOT his real last name. I couldn't find any evidence that these characters were created with a surname, so I made one up. Also, my C2 community "Neverending Lucy" is hosting a Elfen Lied fanfic contest. For more details, send a message to either myself or the community manager sean81. _


	13. Chapter 13

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 13

It was easy to say that things had certainly become very odd behind the walls of Kaede House as of recently. The once gentle halls were now unfamiliar to Kohta. Lucy's decision to no longer shut herself up in her room was a bittersweet development, as the tension between her and Yuka was far from forgotten. Whenever the two of them were in close proximity, the tension was as obvious as a thick fog after a summer rain. They would give each other hateful glances and speak with hidden words in their sentences. And the house was often accompanied to the music of their short lived fights over the most trivial of subjects. Nana had healed up from her fever a few days ago, but since then, wandered around the house in a absentminded, paranoid manner, always casting quick glances over her shoulder as if afraid something might happen while her back was turned. This happened most frequently when Lucy was nearby. Their relationship had never been all that great either, but it also seemed to been progressing backwards rather then forward as Kohta hoped. Even Mayu and Wanta, who were the same as they always were, appeared to be acting differently.

One of the most peculiar changes was most evident in Yuka. The tenseness between her and Lucy was something he'd come to expect and knew probably wouldn't disappear anytime soon. Even more odd, was how she seemed to be turning all her attention and affection now to Tomo and ignore Kohta. It was so common to see Yuka and Tomo together you'd think them joined by an invisible line. She'd help him with his gardening, while she (with astounding failure) would teach him how to cook. Kohta painfully acknowledged that this must have been how it felt for her with all the attention he gave Lucy. Most painful of all, was that while Yuka was with Tomo, she would laugh and smile in a way Kohta had never seen her do with anyone else. Not even him. Kohta was starting to regret ever letting Tomo live here. He had settle into things in a way that was too quickly and easily it upset Kohta's stomach.

Kohta sat on the steps of his favorite spot in the whole city, looking out at the ocean below. This view always had a way of capturing him and taking him away to so many places.

Kohta was taking more walks by himself lately. With everything feeling so out of place, he needed some time to clear his head of troubles. And this is where he came when he needed such time. Looking at the ocean view as it outlined the city was as unchanged since he was a child, as was the comforting effect it had on him. Being here brought back both good and bad memories at the same time. Of he and Lucy watching the sun fall below the horizon, humming a familiar song. Of how Lucy laid her soul bare to him, the two of them sharing a passionate embrace. Of Kanae and how she always used to gather shells buried in the sand. Some of this memories were painful, but they were still his, and he treasured them nonetheless. It was them that defined him today.

"Hey you." Kohta looked to see Tomo waving, walking up to join him, his ponytail now braided.

"What's with the hair," Kohta asked after a moments awkward silence, trying to make polite conversation. Tomo blushed slightly, playing with the end of his hair and looking like he wished Kohta hadn't noticed.

"It was Yuka's idea," he said with indignation, "She said she thought it would look cute this way." He twiddled with it between his fingers uncomfortably, as if suggesting this change of style was causing him physical pain.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together huh," Kohta stated.

"I guess so," Tomo replied simply, either not noticing or not caring that Kohta sounded put out. They just stood side by side, watching the sun reflect of the blue ocean like millions of tiny diamonds. It was a good seven minutes before either spoke again.

"What do you think?" Tomo asked.

"About what?"

"The hair," he explained, holding up the end of his ponytail, swinging it as though Kohta needed an example of what hair was, "What do you think about the hair?"

"Looks great," Kohta answered, not sounding the least like he meant it or had a bit of interest in him. Again, Tomo appeared to be ignoring Kohta's less then honest answer. Kohta watched as several cars swerved in and out of the roads at the bottom. And like a physical manifestation of the memories he was just reveling in, he heard the tune of an old music box being hummed in the wind. There Tomo was; looking at the same sights he was, humming the same song exactly the same way Lucy did all those years ago, with his mouth slightly open. Kohta starred in astonishment at the reversal of memory he was now experiencing.

"Well, I'd better get going. Got work still to do. I'll see you back at the house," Tomo said merrily once he finished the song.

"Please tell me your not cooking," Kohta said a bit more offensively then intended. But instead of turning and looking insulted, Tomo busted out in a fit of laughter.

"I guess my cooking is pretty lousy huh," he chuckled, whipping away a tear of laughter. Even through this show of good nature, Kohta could not block this uneasy feeling about him. Kohta didn't know whether to chuck this up to jealousy, or something else. After the laughing ceased, the two starred into the others eyes. Kohta's were blank and almost challenging, while Tomo's seemed...confident. His back turned, Tomo waved goodbye, smirking all the way back.

"See ya later."

* * *

Inside a dark, viewing room of one of the facilities many test areas sat a young male scientist amidst a sea of data printouts and discarded old research journals. Aoma Kazuma was busy conducting a series of the labs usual experiments testing the properties and capabilities of a diclonius's vectors. He thought the experiments were repetitively boring and a waste of time. They always yielded the same results. Very seldom had there been special cases, and unfortunately, he did not have either the authorization or tenure to be part of said cases. So here he sat, mind wandering to other things. He was so well practiced with procedure and the workings of these machines he could have run them blindfolded. His only company was the newly appointed Chief Arakawa, who opted to stand rather then sit. Aoma had been working at the facility for some time now, and had been here under the reign of the two previous Chief of Research.

Professor Kakuzawa, son of the Director, was probably the most brilliant. His mind was able to work out mathematical algorithms, biological theories, and other scientific problems on a level that seemed inhuman. He was an exceptionally gifted scientist, but there was something very secretive about him in the way he carried himself. But Aoma didn't care much about this. He was paid to do research, not play detective to the oddities of others. He heard rumors about the Director, and planned to keep them only as much by staying properly in his place. Still, Aoma couldn't pretend he missed the Professor. He never liked him much.

Then there was Chief Kurama. He was definitely the most efficient. Always calm, he could always be trusted to think of a way out of almost any predicament. Polite, courteous, and professional to others, he was what you might call a "gentleman," which was why he didn't like him much better the Kakuzawa. Aoma always had the suspicious feeling that there was something tragic hidden behind those glasses. But again, this he didn't really care more then job related curiosity.

It had been months since Kurama's mysterious "withdrawal" from the facility, and it was only recently that they received a replacement. That was Arakawa, his current favorite. The first female Chief in the short history of this place...and also the youngest, he happily noted. Standing there in her elegant red suite and matching skirt, a mixture of boredom and desire couldn't help but make him stare at her up and down. Man was she cute. She could be that much older then he was, and smiled inwardly that he had a shot at her. He was thought of by his friends as something of a "lady killer," a title he wore proudly like a badge of honor. She didn't notice him starring, just looking out beyond the glass with a distant look not all that different from the one Kurama used to wear. Out in the white tile chamber, Number 55 was heavily strapped to a table set in the middle of the room with a vertical shaft directly above. This shaft allowed them to drop spherical balls of various weights to test the strength of what a vector could lift.

Number 55 was in very poor shape. Her body was repulsively thin from her lack of a proper diet, and lost the ability to speak due to the trauma of a past experiment. Covered in her own blood, her body was so weak with malnutrition to the point where she had to be carried from place to place while sedated. There had been more then one occasion when she was prematurely presumed dead. Her muscles tissue was underdeveloped, her bones extremely fragile, and her mind was starting to regress. Saddest of all, was the fact that she was in the best condition out of all the silpelits still remaining. They were in critical need of new test subjects, and they needed them now.

"Proceed with the experiment," Arakawa said neutrally. Aoma pressed one of the dozen buttons on the front console, watching it light up with a red flare of confirmation the command had been accepted. The hatch inside the room gave a noisy, slow, almost taunting open. A huge mechanical hand descended, holding one of the many gray balls of various weights that was no bigger then a soccer ball. The hand moved as it adjusted for aim, then dropped the ball, allowing gravity to carry it to a helpless Number 55. Though she made no outward appearance of distress, her mind was still able to fully grasp things and was crying out. The ball fell at remarkable speed till it was halted by an invisible force, precisely two meters from Number 55. The ball did not hover calmly, but instead jerked in mid-air, showing signs the vectors were being strained by maintaining the weight.

"500 pounds cleared ma'am," Aoma said as he read the computer data aloud, "No changes with her or any of the previous specimens." The ball in the other room fell to the floor as Number 55 forced in out of harms way, its landing leaving a huge deep circle where it had landed before it took its place among its brothers. Arakawa's arms hung limp at her sides, her face still blank. "What do you want to do next," he asked, trying to sound as charming as was possible for talking professionally.

"Take her to the medical lab. I want muscle tissue, brain samples, and anything else you can think of to be on my desk by this afternoon. And make sure the medics write a report on her current condition," Arakawa answered dully. Arakawa then turned to leave.

"You leaving me already sweetheart," Aoma said to her back. His attempts at flirting fell on deaf ears as she exited without giving him the slightest bit of acknowledgment she heard him. He watched the door shut behind her, stroking his neatly trimmed goatee. Shrugging, he pressed a call button to ask for a team to move Number 55 and informed the medical staff to be ready. Aoma turned to look over his shoulder one last time, hoping that maybe the Chief would return to ask him to join her in a wild, unprofessional make-out session. Sadly, she did not.

"Lesbian," he said to himself, leaning back further in his chair deciding to finally finish that book he had been neglecting to finish, while Number 55 breathed heavily beyond the glass.

* * *

His bucket full of weeds and his brow furious with sweat, Tomo leaned back into the shade of the cherry tree. He relaxed there a moment, eyeing the thoroughness of his work. Not a single weed within sight. They had been plaguing the garden and were removed so neatly and with such efficiency that you'd wonder if they were there in the first place. Losing himself in the serenity of the garden paradise, he crossed his legs and cupped his hands behind his head, breathing in the sweet scents of nature. Despite its infectious inhabitants, Earth was quite a beautiful place. Full of its own unspoiled beauty, like the sea and forest, Tomo greatly preferred its characteristics more then its manmade ones. Tomo enjoyed working in this garden so much, he was upset at the idea that he would have to soon leave it behind. His plan was proceeding with continued effectiveness, and he could feel the time to bring it full circle was fast approaching.

Feeling the call to take a bath, he jumped into a stride into the foyer and into the hall that lead to the bathroom. removing his shirt and tossing messily to the floor, he reached for the handle of the sliding door and opened it.

"AHHHHHH!" The scream came so loud and fast that by reflexes alone Tomo shielded his eyes as his back fell hard against the wall hard enough to bruise him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING," Yuka yelled as she slide the door shut.

"I'm sorry," Tomo muttered quickly, "God am I sorry. I was just going to take bath. I swear I didn't know you were in there. I didn't see anything...just your boobs," he whispered. The door slide open again as a wooden water bowl came flying out, finding its mark directly on Tomo's forehead. He crawled into a fetal position, holding his now throbbing red head as tiny multicolored dots clouded his vision. The wooden bowl, Tomo noticed, was now sporting a very large crack.

"I heard that you jerk!" Yuka shouted.

"It was a joke," Tomo said exasperated. there was a long silence were Tomo continued to rub the dump now forming on his forehead.

"Are you ok?" Yuka asked, more calmly and gently.

"Just fine," Tomo lied. She had hit him with such force that the slightest touch sent a stinging through his whole skull. As he tried to make his headache go away, he noticed that Yuka's screams had attracted nobody else in the house. "Where is everybody?"

"They went to get some take out for dinner."

"I guess they're tried of eating burnt rice huh," he joked at himself, giving a small chuckle as he tried to lighten the clearly awkward situation. The bathroom door opened as Yuka came out, a white towel wrapped around her body.

"Let me see," she said as she bent down to examine his head. He had to work with great effort not to look, as the towel only barely covered her in just the right places.

"You've got one hell of an arm you know that," he said, looking away, his face so beet red in camouflaged his lump.

"Sorry about that. You may need to get some ice on that," she apologized as she examined his head from all angles. Finally finished, she stood and extended her hand to help him up. the two stood in silence for a second, Yuka holding the towel just above her visible cleavage, Tomo still trying to look away. Then, as if coming out of the abyss, Yuka started a girlishly fit of giggles. Tomo joined her a moment later in her merry making of the situation. Soon, what started as small giggles had transformed into full blown laughter.

"You look really pretty," Tomo complimented as he regained composure.

"You think so," Yuka asked blushingly, swaying back on her feet.

"You bet." Yuka looked into Tomo's eyes, and there was a feeling behind them that he did not recognize. As if by some spell, she held him there, unable to move or speak. Like she was gazing into his very soul. Her eyes were deep and thoughtful. Nothing in his entire experience could explain that look. Then, Yuka lifted herself up and brushed her lips against his. Tomo's body went rigid, his eyes wide while hers were closed with passion. Their mouths mixed as she breathed into him an unfamiliar warmth. When they finally parted, his mouth still hung open. Gently, Yuka laid her head on his bare chest.

"I don't really understand this myself. I mean, I just met you not that long ago. But even still, since you've been here, I feel something when you're around. I feel happy and I'm not lonely or sad. You pay attention to me...you notice me. Tomo...I love you." Tomo's mind went blank of any thought. He was as still and silent as if all time was sucked out of him with that kiss. His face belying that this was more then a unexpected development. Yuka just smiled at him, her face redder then it was before. She again placed a hand on either side of his face and lifted herself for one more kiss.

"I just wanted you to know." She turned slowly and walked back into the bathroom, leaving Tomo frozen in the hall, listening to the sound of her running bath water.

* * *

Later that night, Tomo was up in his room trying desperately to force himself into his meditative to calm and rest his body. However fueled his attempts were, his mind refused to concentrate. His memory kept replying that moment with Yuka, and he was unable to focus. He could still feel her warmth lingering on his lips. He had originally befriend the stupid girl to drive the wedge further between this family. But this...this was by no means intended to happen. And yet...

_Its only because she's a human_, he thought to himself, even in his minds voice sounding like he was trying to convince himself more then anything. Tomo was very confused. Something he didn't experience often, and didn't like very much at all. He tried with even greater effort to empty his mind, which seemed only to refill with new thoughts once he did. What was wrong with him? It was only a kiss. A stupid human ritual of showing outward, intimate affection. Why was it affecting so powerfully? Why did it confuse him? As if answering this burning question, Tomo found himself teleported to a place he had not visited in a long time. It was a void like space that seemed to suck away all color, leaving behind only a dismal gray. You had the funny feeling of floating, since there was no visible ground, yet could feel it firmly under your feet. It was like being nowhere and everywhere all at once. And whenever you spoke, your voice echoed with grim clarity.

_**And so we meet. **_That was a voice he was all too familair with. Tomo turned to see a figures standing behind him. Like looking in a mirror, he saw within this person an exact replica of himself. Exactly the same height and build, he was naked, with a bandage covering his face, save for a hole to let one, eerie eye see. Atop his head, were two small catlike horns.

"You," Tomo said to the figure.

_**I thought it was time for us to meet face to face**_, the voice said. It was the first time Tomo ever saw a physical manifestation of the voice that had always been inside his head. Seeing it here in flesh and bones, put a sense of caution and dread in him.

"Why's that?"

_**You seem to be faltering**_, the voice said coolly.

"What do you mean by that?"

_**Perhaps you have grown to like the humans and wish to live among them.**_

"Bullshit!"

_**You sound unsure. **_The voice walked toward him, its feet clapping on nothing, a long strand of bandage bringing up the rear.

"I hate them," Tomo said defiantly. His fist were gripping so tightly they were driving his fingernails into his palms.

_**Do you plan on letting the humans get away with what they done to you?**_

"I don't care about that!"

_**Liar. Of course you do. You've just buried it under a mask of indifference when really...it pains you deeply.**_

"SHUT UP," Tomo screamed into the void. He fell to his knees, clawing at his brain, trying to keep out the voice's words.

"Bring in the next sample." Tomo looked up as he saw a small circular portal playing a view of a science lab like a television screen. the room bore the similar, pure white walls and floors that was signature for the place that had only till recently been his prison. Two nameless men, dressed in yellow hazmat suits, dragged in a young boy who couldn't have been any older then eight. This boy, with his pink hair and two horns, was heavy with dirt and blood from not bathing. They dropped him in the middle of the room, then quickly left for the exit.

Young Tomo rose to his feet, examining the sprawled limbs of dead silpelits spread out in a careless fashion. He looked up at the observation window a good 20 feet above him. It was so high off the ground he could not make out who was behind the glass. A loud siren sounded, then a door on the far end of the room began to creepily open, a ravenous lion leaping out the moment there was enough room for it to pass. It sniffed around one of the decapitated limbs of a silpelit that had been one of its recent meals. It noticed Tomo and licked its jaw hungrily at the prospect of fresh, sweet meat.

It lunged at him, and Tomo swiftly dodged it by jumping to the right. He gazed scornfully up at the window, certain that those men up there were observing, recording, and measuring the fighting instincts of a diclonius in battle. He later regretted his moments distraction, as the lion made good use of his split attention, giving another swipe of its claws. More clumsily Tomo managed to dodge it, but not fully. He stumbled and rolled over, a fresh gash on his chest, now oozing fresh blood on his already stained body. The animal jumped, and Tomo felt a serge of anger for being hurt by this creature. Before the predator landed, Tomo lopped off its two front paws with his vectors. He then rolled out of its path as the poor lion came crashing down ungracefully, leaving a streak of blood where its paws should have been.

It tried to lick its wounds, but Tomo then lifted the lion into the air, then proceeded to launch it between the two walls back and forth. He made sure not to throw it with enough force to kill it outright, but just enough to break a bone or two with each seperate impact.

The vision slowly faded into nothing, still playing the scene until it was completely gone. Another one appeared as soon as the first had vanished. This one, however, shown Tomo being strapped to some sort of medical table, an oddly shaped helmet covering the entirety of his head. A team of six doctors stood over him, subjecting him to various pokes and thrust of their tools and instruments. He screamed out in intense pain, having not been given anesthetic. Then that too faded, the scream sticking like stagnant air. Then another of him chained to a wall were cannons were being shot at him. One of his legs hung dead at his side, a piece of bone sticking through the skin.

"STOP IT," Tomo yelled. He shut his eyes from the memories that were now infecting him like the a plague.

_**The humans deserve no mercy for what they have done to you and your fellow diclonius. They are but a failed experiment, destroying this precious Earth that they were given. They suck away all resources, pollute their land, and even kill their own**_, the voice urged, _**If they find out who you are, then they will surely kill you.**_

"What should I do," Tomo begged. The bandages covering the figures face seemed to melt away, revealing a face exactly like Tomo's, with great hunger in its eyes.

_**Kill them all. Destroy all the humans. Save Lucy. Only then will you know true happiness. **_The figure bent down to eye level with Tomo and reached out a hand, waiting for him to take it. _**Remake the world. **_Finding what could almost be seen as a smile, Tomo offered his hand into its. There was a flash of light, like that from a soundless explosion, then Tomo found himself sitting in the same from he had been moments before. dazed, he looked over at the clock to see it reading 2:07 in the morning. It had all been instantaneous, but felt like eternity.

Inside, Tomo felt a oneness that he never felt before. He felt stronger, calmer. And now, breathing inside him with fierce breath, he longed to take human life. He was finally, in perfect sync with his diclonism. Tomo closed his eyes, and immediately fell into meditation.


	14. Chapter 14

****

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews._

**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 14

It started out like any other day in Kaede House. It was just about dawn when Nana was the first to get up, followed closely by Yuka (who assisted Nana in making breakfast), then Tomo, Mayu, and the late risers Kohta and Lucy. They ate breakfast in their usual silence, and once everyone was finished, helped clear the table of the empty pltaes. After that, everyone proceeded to do their daily chores. Yes, it was just another regular morning, and no one would have though it particularly different. just everyone going about their usual routine. Little did any of them know, save for one, that by the end of the day, it would turn out to be so much more. No one would have guessed, but everything was about to change.

Yuka was in her room standing in front of a dull size mirror, looking at herself in her new kimono. It was truly a beautiful piece of clothing. The fabric, which felt extraordinary against her skin, was a bright and elegant looking yellow and decorated with orange koi fish. She twirled around, viewing it from all sides. Tonight was going to be a special night, and she wanted to look her absolute best for a certain someone. It was the very first night of the summer festival that Kamakura had held every year since as long as Yuka could remember. And tonight, she was planning on asking Tomo to join her at the festival. Then, afterwards, she would ask him to be her boyfriend. As she examined her reflection and how she looked in the kimono, she wondered how Tomo would think she looked. Such girlish thinking surprised even her, and just thinking about Tomo was enough to make her heart beat rapidly within her chest.

"Yuka," Mayu called from outside in the hall.

"In here," she answered. Mayu opened the sliding door, gaping in awe when se saw Yuka's kimono.

"It's beautiful," Mayu said.

"My parents just sent it to me," Yuka said as she modeled it for Mayu in the center of her room, "What do you think?"

"You look great. But what's the occasion?" Yuka leaned in closer to Mayu and spoke in a low whisper.

"I'm going to ask Tomo to come with me to the festival tonight," she blushed, hiding her face in her palms afterward. Mayu looked rather confused by this.

"Tomo?"

"What is it," Yuka asked, sounding worried.

"It's just, I thought you said you were in love with Kohta," Mayu said, trying to understand how Yuka could change interests so quickly.

"People change Mayu," Yuka replied, returning to the mirror. Mayu continued to look thunderstruck by all this. "Besides, now that I like Tomo, I don't have to worry about Kohta or feel jealous about Lucy anymore. They can both be as romantic as they want for all I care," she added bitterly.

"But you haven't even known him that long."

"I've known him long enough," Yuka finalized, her tone declaring the subject had dropped. "Did you want me for something?" Trying to search for why she was here in the first place, Mayu finally remembered, straightening up before speaking (which was a habit of hers during any kind of confrontation).

"I need your help down in the kitchen. I need an extra hand with getting lunch ready." Yuka changed out of the kimono and hurried down to the kitchen with Mayu to help her with cooking. Apparently, she wasn't sure about whether or not the noodles for their lunch was finished yet and wanted a second opinion.

"We haven't had soumen noodles for some time have we," Yuka siad.

"No, but Nana really liked them and asked if you could have them again." Yuka laughed at this, not expecting Nana to have be taken with soumen noodles so passionately. Sure, she and Kohta liked them better then anything, but Nana's love of them bordered near obsession.

"How long have they been cooking? You can usually..." Yuka stopped in the middle of her sentence. They had just reached the threshold to the kitchen, and opened the door to a most unexpected sight. Inside, Lucy was reaching for a glass from one of the top cabinets that was too high for any of them to reach on normal ground. But instead of standing on a chair like the others did, Lucy seemed to be lifting the glass off the shelf with her mind. The cabinet door opened and closed without her having touched it, and the glass floated down into her hand on its own, where she then took it to the faucet to fill with water. Yuka was transfixed. She stood motionless in the threshold while Mayu looked back and forth between her and Lucy, a look of utter panic on her face. Yuka let out a ghastly scream and Lucy, finally noticing them, dropping the glass as she spun around. Pieces of glass shattering everywhere and water spilling over the floor. Lucy turned around abruptly, her eyes so wide they looked like they might bug out of her skull. Neither she or Yuka were able to look away from the other. Both were unmoving.

"WHAT WAS THAT," Yuka quivered, pointing a shaky finger at Lucy. Both Lucy and Mayu looked unsure as to what to do next. Yuka moved her mouth, but no further words escaped her. She looked frantically around as if expecting to see wires to suggest some kind of cheap illusionary trick. Kohta, Nana, and Tomo came rushing onto the scene, Yuka's scream resonating throughout the house.

"What happened," Kohta asked worriedly.

"Um...you see...well...its," Mayu tried to start, fear keeping her from describing the situation any further then that. Kohta looked down to see that Mayu's arms and legs were trembling as if cold. It was clear she was on the near edge of panic.

"Lucy was just getting that glass from the cupboard with without using her hands," Yuka finished for her, her accusatory point shifting from Lucy to the broken glass on the floor. Kohta and the others joined Mayu and Lucy with their own ashen faces. Yuka looked from face to face, wondering why nobody else but her seemed surprised by this discovery. "What's wrong with all of you? I told you Lucy was doing something weird with her mind! She's got special powers or something!" Nobody said a word.

"I think its time to tell her Kohta," Lucy said despairingly.

"Tell me what?" Yuka said suspiciously. Kohta frowned and his brow followed suit. He gave a small, surrendering sigh before starting.

"Yuka, Lucy isn't exactly human. She is what's called a diclonius. As far as I know, they're some kind of mutant humans who have these invisible arms called vectors. They also grow those horns that she used to have. Apparently, she and Nana used to live in this facility that was studying them, they both escaped and eventually ended up here with us. The rest, I guess you could say, is history." With each passing sentence that Kohta uttered, Yuka's confused and shocked face quickly turned to that of extreme anger and rage. Kohta noticed that he'd never seen Yuka this upset before. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"You knew," she said, "You knew and didn't tell us Kohta."

"Actually," Mayu interrupted, "Nana told me when I first met her." As Yuka turned her reproachful eyes toward Mayu, she blushed guiltily and looked only at the floor, playing with her thumbs.

"So only me and Tomo didn't know!"

"Um," Tomo began, scratching the back of his head, "Nana told me some time ago."

"SO I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW," Yuka shouted so loud her throat ached, throwing her hands up, her temper reaching its limit. Everyone recoiled in guilt. "Didn't any of you think it was important to tell me about the people I'm living with?" She was firing off her sentences so fast that they were nearly mixing, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to speak straight and coherently.

"I was afraid," Nana struggled through tearful eyes, "I was afraid if you knew what I was you'd throw me out. I don't want to go back to where I was before. I like it here." Nana was now on the cusp of letting the tears fall freely. Yuka looked somewhat regretful at this, then turned her full, and renewed fiery gaze at Kohta.

"Why did you hide this from me?"

"I wasn't hiding it from you," Kohta protested defensively. A hard slap found itself across his face, leaving a deep red handprint.

"Why did you hide it from me?" she asked again.

"I wasn't hiding it," Kohta repeated. Yuka slapped him yet again, his cheek now red as a beet.

"STOP LYING TO ME! WHY DID YOU HIDE IT FROM ME?" she demanded.

"I did it to protect you!"

"Protect me from what?" Kohta and everyone else brought their hands up to cover their mouths as though they were trying to stop the answer from escaping their mouths. The faces Yuka saw on them told her that this was something neither of them wanted her to hear. She repeated herself more tersely. "Protect me from what?" There was a long, thick, and pregnant pause, mirroring the seriousness of the scene. Everyone looked down at their feet, each more afraid then the other to be the one to explain things to Yuka.

"To protect you from me," Lucy spoke up, "Because before I came here to live with all of you...I killed a lot of people." Yuka's face was shocked into a silent neutrality. She moved so little that she didn't appear to be breathing. "I used to live in a orphanage. I was treated terribly there by these three boys. And one day they tortured this dog I found till it died, just to see me cry. The girl I told about the dog, a person I thought was someone I could trust, told them. I got so upset that I used my vectors to kill them. Then I wondered from house to house, killing everyone inside so I could use their house as a temporary home. I was filled with so much hate back then. Till Kohta showed up. He was the first to show me genuine kindness. And for the first time, I was happy. But then when I went to see him at the festival...he was with you. I got so jealous. I thought he'd lied to me about being my friend. I thought you'd stolen the one friend I ever made. And I just lost it. I followed him onto the train, and killed his father and sister. Then I would have killed you too, if Kohta hadn't stopped me. After that, I start wandering around the country till I was captured by the facility. I escaped, met Kohta again after eight years, and you know the rest." Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. No sound from either the house or outside world could penetrated the wall that had erected around them.

With one swift motion, Yuka clenched a fist and swung it into a devastating blow that struck Kohta in the jaw; then she proceeded to strike Lucy. Before either Kohta or Lucy had fallen completely to the ground, Yuka was already bounding onto Lucy, swinging wildly at her. Instantly, Nana, Mayu, and Tomo rushed for Yuka. It took their combined strengths to pry Yuka away from Lucy, and all the while Yuka continued to throw punches randomly into the air without any coordination. Kohta sat up, rubbing a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Yuka," he said, surprised. Yuka turned her hellish stare at him, then broke away from the others hold on her, tackling Kohta and rapidly hitting everywhere while he tried to block her with his arms. The others again had to work together just to pull her off of him, Lucy rubbing her sore cheeks, sitting silently.

"I HATE YOU," Yuka shouted at the tops of her lungs. Her swings had become so violent and sporadic at she accidentally elbowed Tomo in the ribs and didn't even notice she'd done so. She seemed determined to beat the very life out of Lucy or Kohta, which ever she could get her hands on first. "I HATE YOU BOTH," she screamed so loud in made her throat throb. She broke out of the others gripped and ran for the front door, slamming it shut with such ferocity it nearly broke off its hinges. For a while, nobody moved inside the kitchen. No one even offered to help up Lucy and Kohta, or to even inquire if they were ok. They all just stood in a stunted silence.

* * *

Yuka ran faster then she'd ever run in her life. She ran with no destination but to get as far from Kaede House as she possibly could. The tears falling from the corners of her eyes were quickly dried from the sheer force of the wind beating across her face as she bolted down the sidewalk. So blind was both her fury and hurt that she didn't see or hear the growls of the other people on the walkways, who were forced to jump out of her path as came past. Yuka was no stranger to these feelings and emotions. She'd felt them more times in her past then she cared to remember. But now...she felt it so real she thought she might die from it. She ran down the long steps, nearly toppling down them, missing almost two steps at a time. Yuka did not stopping running until she came to the beach. She was feeling so hurt and alone that she did not notice her own fatigue as she sat her back against the wall, crying into her knees with full abandon.

She'd been living with a murderer this whole time, and not one of them had afforded her the dignity to tell her. What's more, Lucy had at one point thought about killing her! And Kohta allowed this person, who killed his father and sister, and even considered killing her to stay with them! Even fell in love with her! Did he not value Kanae and his dad at all? Didn't he value her at all? Why had they all kept her in the dark about this? These thoughts kept running across her conscious thoughts so quickly that she almost couldn't keep up with them. The solitude of the beach and deserted city streets above only increased her sense of isolation from the rest of the world. She was sobbing there unnoticed, for how long she didn't know, before a shadowy silhouette formed in front of her. She looked up, her eyes red and puffy, to find Tomo leaning on his knees. He was breathing deeply, and stank with BO. Apparently he'd run here to find her.

"I thought I'd find you here," he said happy to have finally found her. He did not offer her a hand to help her up, rather he just sat directly next to her, not saying anything for several moments while he just let her continue to cry. Although she was not too happy with how he didn't tell her what he knew about Lucy, she appreciated his company all the same. But she wasn't going to let him know that right away.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said before she had a chance to scold him, "I should have told you. But I swear that the only thing I was that she was the one who attacked Nana and killed lots of people. I didn't know anything about Kohta's family being killed or her wanting to kill you," he said apologetically. Yuka could hear the sincerity in his voice, but that didn't do much to make her feel any better.

"Lucy attacked Nana too?" Tomo's face went ashen. Clearly something he didn't mean to reveal. "So they still were keeping secrets from me."

"I wasn't trying to keep it from you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked, trying hard not to sob while speaking. Tomo looked deep in thought for a moment before finally answering.

"Because I didn't want to do anything that might cause a rift between you guys," he said, "When I first met you guys, you seemed like the perfect family...well, almost perfect," he said with a slight smile. Yuka could help the small chortle that forced its way past her lips at the joke. "But despite a few problems here or there, you guys seemed happy together. That was something I never knew till you guys took me in, and I didn't want to lose that. Besides...I didn't want to do anything that might make you unhappy." Tomo placed his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. Yuka noticed how gentle and kind they looked. And with welcome ease, she surrendered herself as he lead them in a loving kiss, followed by a equally loving embrace. And despite herself, she found that she could not stay mad at him.

She held him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulders as he rubbed her head comfortingly. Several minutes later, she pulled herself away from him, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"Feel any better," he asked with a cautious smile.

"A little," she replied truthfully.

"Tell you what, why don't you and I go to that festival thing they have going on here," Tomo suggested. Yuka was almost beside herself, having been thinking about the same thing minutes earlier. "What is it," he asked worriedly, seeing her reaction.

"Nothing...it's just..."

"You don't want to go?"

"No, no it's not that," she said quickly. She brightened up almost instantly, a broad smile framing her face. "I'd loved to go."

"Great," he stood up and offered a gallant hand to help her up, "Then lets go back and get ready." Yuka took his hand, not relinquishing it once she was back on her two feet. And together they walked back to Kaede House, Yuka clinging onto his arm, and not caring that she would soon have to face the others again.

* * *

Lucy sat in her room, an ice pack held closely to her face were Yuka had punched her. She listened for any sound, hoping for something to break the uncomfortable feeling now permeating the house. After Yuka's little "outburst," the rest of the day passed in complete silence. They all went about their business as usual, ignoring all others. None of them spoke to the other, not even when Yuka finally came back with Tomo looking in much better spirits. They didn't even have dinner together, everyone quietly agreeing to fend for themselves tonight. So while Tomo and Yuka would get food at the festival, the rest of them would have to settle eating instant ramen noodles. Lucy, on the other hand, wasn't planning on eating anything. She could tell Mayu and Nana wanted to join Tomo and Yuka, but wisely thought otherwise, believing that Yuka would rather not spend time with them. Kohta had likewise not even left his room either.

Lucy had wanted to go and check on him, to make sure he was alright, but did not. Whether is was out of fear or cowardice, she didn't know. So instead, she just sat there alone, the freezing ice pressed hard against her skin to numb the pain. Moments passed where Lucy's mind was blank. Where she didn't even attempt to think of anything. Then there were times when she constantly questioned why everything had gone so wrong. She wondered why her life was still nothing but a hellish nightmare, even though she was far away from the lab. Was her life ever going to get any better? As of now, Lucy was steering toward no. There was a small, weak rap on her door, followed by a soft voice that spoke so low it was almost a whisper.

"Lucy, can I come in?" Kohta asked. Lucy gave him permission, and Kohta gently opened the door, entering her room and softly shutting the door behind him. It seemed like Kohta was almost afraid of being heard. Kohta also held a frozen ice pack against his face, his bruises looking far worse then Lucy's. He knelt down beside her, removing her pack away from her cheek to check on her own bruises. "How are you feeling?"

"It's not too bad," Lucy answered weakly.

"That's not what I meant." The physical pain would heal well enough on its own. What worried the both of them was on a more emotional level. Lucy averted her eyes, which was answer enough for Kohta.

"Why did you tell her?" Lucy still did not meet his eyes while she thought deeply, and not even when she eventually answered.

"Because I'm tired of living like this. I'm tired of feeling isolated from everyone but you. It's not enough to just have you on my side anymore Kohta. I need more. I want to feel like I'm actually part of a family, and like I have friends. I don't want to feel alone anymore. I thought maybe if I was honest with Yuka, maybe she and I could start to be friends. But instead all its done is just make the gap between us even greater. And now, I've made things worse for everybody. Maybe I'm not meant for this kind of life," she added solemnly. "Ever since I can remember, I've been miserable. At the orphanage, on the run, at the facility. I thought after I finally was able to break free of that place and see you again that maybe I could finally be happy. But no matter how hard I try, things never get any better. And after today, I'm starting to feel they never will." Lucy tried hard to speak as composed as she could, trembling in her seat. It was all she could do to keep her emotions in check. Lucy stood up, still not looking Kohta in the face.

"I can't stay here anymore," she said simply, walking toward the hall. Before she'd taken a full stride, Kohta jumped up and threw his arms around her neck, just like on the night when she left to find death with the army of SAT soldiers.

"DON'T GO," he cried, exactly as he did back then. He tightened his hold on her as he felt her, rather feebly, try to break free. "You're not alone Lucy. You do have friends and a family. We're your family. We may not be perfect, and we may have problems, but we do care about you. Let us help you. You don't have to be alone anymore. And Yuka will come around. I promise. If I can forgive you, then so can she. But please...don't go. I love you Lucy."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Then she'll just have to get over it. I don't care what anyone thinks of you. What's important is that I care about you and I need you, only exactly as you are, regardless of your past." Kohta spun her around and before Lucy knew what was happening, Kohta leaned in to kiss her aggressively on the lips. Lucy's heart raced. It was the first time since the night on the stone steps that the two of them had shared a kiss. And Lucy fell into it with welcome vigor, kissing him back. There they both held the other, desperately needing to find comfort in the one they loved most. And there, they were able to find it. They both rolled over under the covers of Lucy's bed, kissing each other widely and passionately. Their clothes and been discarded, strewn randomly around the bed. Here they would stay they whole night, continuing to kiss until, unable to fight it any longer, they both fell asleep in each others loving arms.

* * *

It was well into the late hours of the night before Yuka and Tomo finally made their way from the festival and back toward the house. The night was as beautiful and clear as it had ever been this summer, with all the stars decorating the cloudless sky, while the full, pale moon lit their way. Yuka hadn't been to a festival in so long, and nearly forgotten how fun they could be. They had gorged themselves on many of the festivals delicious foods and snacks, such as crepes, fired noodles, and cotton candy. They played many of the festival games, including goldfish catching and the game were you had to carve out a picture with a small needle. After many practice attempts in the past, Yuka had become all but a master at it, while Tomo couldn't even stick the needle in without it cracking. Yuka had to laugh at the role reversal. The games may have seemed somewhat childish, but Yuka wanted Tomo to experience them, this being his first festival ever. They looked into booth after booth as men and women of different arts and crafts performed their skills with excellent precision. What made the night perfect was that during their time there, while they were sitting on a park bench eating their dinner, Tomo had looked over at her and complimented her on how she looked in her kimono.

They had spent so much time there that were nearly the last ones to leave, almost being forced out by the disgruntled police guards eager to go home and get a good nights sleep. And now they walked slowly home, enjoying the deserted streets and sounds of the nocturnal insects and beasts just now coming out. Tomo held her arm magnanimously, like an escort to a princess. They walked in huddled laughter, Yuka unable to resist the possibility of teasing him for how terrible he was at the festival games. As the finally reached the outer gates of Kaede House, Tomo opened the door and gestured inside with a noble bow to his mistress. Yuka curtsied and walked inside as Tomo followed.

"Hey Yuka," Tomo called from behind her.

"Yes," Yuka said turning to face him. Just as she was looking in straight in the face, Tomo brought her into a tight embrace, caressing the back of her head.

"There's something I want to tell you," he whispered gently in her ear.

"Yes," Yuka said hopefully. He brought her out of his hug, then placing his hands on both sides of her face, leaned her into a kiss. Yuka wished this moment could have lasted forever, the romantic setting almost too perfect for words. They parted and Yuka gazed into his gently, kind eyes.

The pain rang so sharply that her mind couldn't even register it. All she felt was the sudden lack of weight on her arm, looking down to find it mysteriously severed at the elbow, her kimono now stained with red blood. Horrified, Yuka looked back into Tomo's eyes, still ever gently and kind, still holding her face.

"I need you do die for me," he said softly. Suddenly, realization hit her. Yuka tried to brake away from him and even cry for help, but her voice seemed lost and her body overpowered. How could this be happening? Another clean cut ripped her torso from her body, then another swift slice tore her head clean from her neck before her body hit the ground, a small sprinkle of blood splattering everywhere as blood continued to gush from her veins. Yuka's last thoughts lingered on Nana, Mayu, Kohta...and Lucy. Then, nothing.

* * *

Tomo held her head still in his hands, his face impassive and almost uninterested. He looked into her face, the shock in her eyes never to be removed. Forever unchanged. Watching his reflection in her pupils, he felt strangely detached. Her death would achieve nothing significant. So then why had he suddenly decide to dispose of her? The answer, he found, was so simple that to a normal person, it might seem psychotic. He just wanted to. And who knows, maybe her death would serve a greater purpose in the end. He smiled. He brought her head up close to his face, deciding to grace her with one last touch of diclonius skin. Turning her face, he licked the side of the head all the way up to her hair line, tasting the mingled flavors of blood and perfume.

Holding it there for a moment, he later dropped it, letting gravity pull it to the ground with a splatter sound as it landed, her head bouncing a little before halting. He looked down at her, her decapitated head swimming in a puddle of red. Then, with the greatest plainness, turned on her and walked up to his room, leaving her corpse to rot in the moonlight.


	15. Chapter 15

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews._**

* * *

**

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 15

It was only a few hours after early dawn when Arakawa was summoned to the Director's office. The sun was still breaking through the shadows of night and turning it into day with a blood red haze. Standing in front of his window, Kakuzawa looked out as the rays filtered in , giving the window the distinct impression of looking like an old fashioned stained glass window from an old church. Arakawa stood in front of his desk, a stack of files under her arm. The medical reports, research notes, and personal bios of all remaining silpelits in the facility were in these files. Plus, all of her current findings of the ongoing search for the vector virus. She stood up straight in yet another one of the exquisite suites the Director had been "gracious" enough to present to her wardrobe. Her sudden ascension to the position of Chief had accompanied with it several considerable perks. There was a substantial increase in her salary and a great improvement of her living quarters. Though still confined to only the island, it was still a deluxe pad that even some celebrities would envy. State of the art television, walls decorated with the finest pieces of modern art, fridge filled with exotic and gourmet food (and her own personal chef), and a luxurious bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi. Under different circumstances, Arakawa might take time to appreciate her good fortune. Unfortunately, she wasn't in much of an enjoying mood.

She once dreamed of becoming a great scientist. To be able to use science to make the world a better place. But that idea was now nothing more then a naive dream. Now, she was just Kakuzawa's dog. Kept on a very short leash. Forced to submit to this despicable man to save her own pathetic life. Now, she was committing and seeing acts so disgusting and against everything in human nature. Even worse, she was now six weeks late. All these thoughts mixing together made her seriously contemplate suicide. But she continued to live. She was unsure of whether this was out of cowardice or bravery. Either way, here she was. Back in his office. Still, regretfully, breathing.

"These are the reports you requested sir," she said numbly, placing the folders on his desk. Kakuzawa opened them and scanned their contents quickly.

"You're sure this is everything we have," he said, his eyes peering over the edge of the folder.

"Yes sir," Arakawa confirmed, "Anything we have on record that's on any significance is right there." Kakuzawa continued to peruse the files. His eyes darted back and forth like a pinball machine, a grim smile exposing his teeth.

"Excellent work," he complimented her, "Burn all of them. Then scatter the ashes into the sea. And be sure to delete the files on the computers." Arakawa couldn't help the look of surprise that filled her formerly blank expression.

"Excuse me?" she asked curiously.

"All of our current findings are no longer needed. We will start over from the beginning," Kakuzawa growled placing the files back on his desk.

"I don't understand," Arakawa replied, still not comprehending what the Director was getting at, "But why would you want us to delete and destroy years of research." Kakuzawa turned again to face her, the confident and, surprisingly, happy smile still baring his pearly white fangs.

"I have just received word from Number 86. He is currently on his way back...with Lucy and Number 7 in custody." Arakawa was both astounded and curious. She had almost forgotten about the prized sample that escaped months ago. But who was this Number 86 who apparently captured her? She had never read a file on a Number 86. "Once Number 86 and Lucy return, we will have two pure diclonius to which we may experiment. With them back in my hands, we will find the virus and synthesize it more quickly. Then the results from those lowly silpelits will be meaningless. Number 86 is even being kind enough to provide us with a silpelit as a backup. Terminate all remaining silpelits, Number 7 will be sufficient enough on her own."

"Excuse me," Arakawa interjected, "But what do you mean _two _pure diclonius? All the files I've read state that the only queen diclonius we have is Lucy." Kakuzawa chuckled darkly at her, amused by her ignorance.

"The reports are correct Miss Arakawa, Lucy is our only queen. But what good would a new kingdom be without a queen...and a king." Arakawa's jaw dropped, the implication of what the Director just said hitting her. A king could only mean one thing...

"Bu...but," Arakawa stammered, "I've read no report or file on there being a king diclonius!"

"Of course you haven't," the Director laughed, still enjoying her dumbfounded expression, "That's because there never was a report filed on him. Only a select few were even aware of his existence. Much like Number 35, I had to safeguard my investments. But now that he has succeeded were the others have failed, I'll be able to use them to find the diclonius virus, return the pure gene back to my family blood where it belongs, and with Lucy as my queen and Number 86 and 7 as my servants, will reshape humanity into the new race it was meant to be. Like my ancestors was destined to do. People will tell stories for generations about how I brought about the end of the disease known as humanity and brought it up from the ashes into a pure race." He held up his arms in an immaculate fashion, resembling the figure of Jesus Christ on the crucifix. The image was so disturbing in made Arakawa's stomach churn. His eyes were fixed on the heavens outside his window, wide and inhuman, like he was trying to stare down God himself with his vision.

"Excuse me sir," Arakawa interrupted his day dream, forcing down her sickness.

"Yes my dear," he answered.

"I think it would be in our best interest to keep the remaining silpelits alive," she said.

"You do not trust my judgment," Kakuzawa shot menacingly.

"Begging your pardon sir...but no," she replied, surprising herself by the boldness of the answer, "The findings we have are too valuable to just toss out. And we have no guarantee that the research we will conduct on Lucy, Number 7, and this Number 86 will produce any real results. I think it would be wise to keep the rest of the silpelits as backup. That way..." Kakuzawa stepped over to her from his window and gave her a hard backhand slap that sent her to the plush floor. He eyed her with malice and fire. His teeth were clenched so tightly that she could almost hear them grinding against each other. Arakawa rubbed the side of her face and felt a small trickle of blood from the corner of her lip.

"DON'T YOU DARE CONTRADICT ME," he shouted at her, "I am God's chosen ruler. I will be the one who decides what is best, not a pathetic women like you. Your job is to do what I tell you and bare my child, nothing else. If you stand against me...then you stand against God." Kakuzawa began walking back to his desk, resuming to gaze out the window as if waiting to see Number 86 and Lucy fly over the clouds.

"You're crazy," Arakawa trembled, climbing to her feet. The Director composed himself at this and turned around, his face colder and harder then she'd ever seen it.

"Pardon me," he said grimly.

"You're nuts! Psycho! Insane! Mad," Arakawa began spouting off rapidly, surprised by her own bravery, "I not going to help you anymore. You won't make me kill a bunch of little kids, and I won't help you destroy the human race. You're no god, you're just a deranged old man." Arakawa stood tall and straight to make herself feel more bold. Yet she still could not stop the shaking in her feet. The Director sighed, reached into his desk, and before Arakawa could move, shot her square in the stomach. The force of the bullets entry into her gut was enough to throw her onto her back, blood rushing forth from the wound. Arakawa mentally laughed at herself for having been surprised by his course of action.

"What a pity," Kakuzawa said, stepping from behind his desk, "You didn't have to die my dear. If only you just continued to obey me, you could have been part of history. But if you're so desperate for death, then allow me to grant it to you."

"But...what about...your child," Arakawa said weakly, coughing up blood from her throat. He only grunted. "I thought...you needed a child...to bare...your legacy."

"I shall have plenty with Lucy. And none shall be a disgusting half-breed like my son was, or like the one you _would_ have bared." Kakuzawa leveled his gun, gave three more ringing shots, and Arakawa slumped over to remain motionless. Kakuzawa looked at her body, now full of holes and bleeding freely. He pressed a button on his intercom to request his secretary know to send up a janitor to clean up the mess. Then, pressed the button that would let all the facility hear him.

"Attention all staff," his voice echoed like a god throughout the halls, "I hereby order the termination of all silpelits and any existing files we have on them. Afterwards, burn the bodies in the furnace. And prepare a helicopter to be sent to Kamakura. We will be welcoming some very important guest."

* * *

**A few hours earlier...**

Kohta drearily opened his eyes to notice the sun just outside Lucy's window slowly making its way up the horizon. Whipping the grit from his eyes, he saw himself under the covers of Lucy's bed, both of them naked with Lucy draping an arm over his chest, while he likewise wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Growing frantic, he looked around desperately for some explanation as to why he was here. Seeing their clothes scattered about, he suddenly remembered the events of last night. Of how Lucy again attempted to leave, and he refused to let her go. He then recalled them sharing a kiss, one thing lead to another, and then...

Kohta blushed furiously just thinking about it. He never really believed himself to be a "player" and always thought himself to be more inept when it came to girls. What he and Lucy did last night was more then a little shocking. Still, he thought about it fondly. He quickly scolded himself for this, thinking it made him seem too much of a pervert. But what he really enjoyed about it was not the act itself, but what it embodied. To him, it was nothing more then an expression of love to the women that now lay next to him in quiet slumber. And for a few moments, but what really felt like several lifetimes, the two of them had become one being. Kohta stroked Lucy's pink hair, Lucy stirring in her sleep. He stopped, fearing he might have woken her up, but she was only shifting in her sleep. Kohta continued to lightly pet her head, not in a rush to awaken his sleeping beauty. He also didn't want to disrupt the moment he was so much enjoying. So he lay awake, holding her in his arms, believing he was the luckiest man in the world.

Hours went by as Lucy's chest rose up and down with her breaths as Kohta just watched her sleep. She seemed so peaceful. As he heard the footsteps of someone else making their way downstairs, he internally noticed that this was probably the first time he'd ever been the first one up. The thought was very amusing to him.

Nana screamed from downstairs, and it was loud enough to boldly wake Lucy up, and force Kohta to sit up straight in bed. The two of them dressed quickly and haphazardly, Lucy putting on her usual lime green boxer shorts and white tank top, while Kohta simply put on the jeans he wore last night. In the hall, they met Tomo and Mayu, who also seemed to have been startled from their sleep and dressed sloppily. They all found Nana sitting in the frame of the front door, body shaking violently.

"Nana, what happened," Mayu said, falling to Nana's side. She didn't answer. Her eyes and focus seemed fixed on something. "Nana?" Again, Nana appeared too much in a state of shock to hear or answer. The others followed her gaze. In the middle of the stone path that lead to the gate was a body. The body was cut into four different pieces and laying in a pool of its own blood. The upper and lower body had been separated from each other, the left arm was removed from the torso, and a head that lay starring at them all. The face was familiar, with its short auburn hair and beautiful matching eyes. It was Yuka.

Mayu screamed just as loudly as Nana, while Kohta fell on his butt and Lucy and Tomo starred in stunned silence. Kohta's face became possessed by fear and anguish, his body shivering as if cold. How could this be?

"What happened?" Tomo asked after a moment.

"I don't know," Nana said, seeming to finally find her voice, "I just came out to feed Wanta, and I just found her here like this." It was difficult for any of them to understand what she was saying while she spoke sobbingly. But they got the understood her well enough. A bowl of dried dog food lay on the grass as Wanta ate it off the dirt, his animal nature blissfully ignorant to the situation. No one moved forward an inch nearer the body, as if it might spring to life and strike them. Slowly, Kohta crawled over to where Yuka's head lay facing the sky. He looked on the verge of tears, caressing her cheek.

"Why?" Kohta asked weakly after several minutes of motionless silence. His sudden vocalness drug everyone out of their trances as they all looked at him. He turned an eye to Lucy, a mixture of both anger and sadness behind them. "Why?"

"Why what?" she responded confusedly.

"Why did you do this?" Kohta asked more aggressively.

"Why WHO did this?" she said incredulously.

"Why did YOU kill her?" Kohta stood up with one swift action, coming right up in front of Lucy.

"Wait...now calm down," Mayu said apprehensively, "We don't know who did this."

"Yeah," Tomo chimed in, "Lets just take a breather."

"Don't be stupid you two," Kohta shot at the two of them, "Who else could have done this!" Lucy looked as if she didn't believe what she was hearing.

"And what makes you think I did this," Lucy asked, sounding extremely offended.

"Oh come on. I've seen how you kill, and this looks oddly familiar. This is just like when you killed Kanae and my dad."

"What reason would I have to kill Yuka?"

"Oh, I don't know. maybe because you hate her!" Kohta's voice was becoming more and more hysterical with every passing syllable.

"I didn't hate her," Lucy said desperately.

"Liar! Yes you did! And after what happened yesterday, you decided to kill her." With shocking force, Kohta brought the back of his hand upside Lucy's face, striking her. It was the first time any of them could recently recall him slapping anyone since Nana first arrived. Then placing an arm on both her shoulders, pinned her against the house. He began shaking her so violently her head bashed against the walls, giving her a splitting headache. "Why do you keep on doing this to me?" asked Kohta, "I thought you changed. I thought you were different."

"Kohta, please calm down! We don't know that she did this," Mayu pleaded. Nana looked like she again lost her voice, and Tomo quietly observed. Mayu jumped forward and pried Kohta away from Lucy. Lucy rubbed the spot that Kohta had hit, looking stunned beyond words.

"All you've ever done is take everyone I ever cared about away from me," Kohta said, even closer to tears then before. He took one hard stride toward her, looking like he was going to hit her again. Mayu used all the strength her 14 year old body could gather to hold back a full grown college student.

"Kohta," Lucy whispered sadly. The scene was quickly getting out of control. Kohta continued his berating of Lucy, Mayu using all her power to hold him back as Kohta continued fight against her, while Nana sobbed uncontrollably, and Wanta barked furiously at the commotion. Tomo stood silently by.

"LET GO OF ME," Kohta screamed at Mayu.

"Please," Mayu begged, tears now falling as frequently from her eyes as Nana's.

"I SAID LET ME GO!"

"Everyone just settle down," shouted Tomo. When no one seemed to hear him, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly into the air. They all instantly obeyed his command at silence. Once he was sure he had their attention, he continued on. "I'm not going to pretend I understand much of what I was told about what Lucy is last night," he said looking from face to face, making sure he was still holding their attention and that they were listening calmly. "But Mayu is right about one thing. We don't know for sure you did--"

"I already told you who did this," Kohta interrupted him, "It was her!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Lucy. The way Kohta had referred to Lucy as 'her' was almost heartbreaking.

"We can't be sure of that," Tomo said peacefully.

"You're in on this aren't you?" Kohta shot back at him. Tomo quickly went from a calm exterior to one of great anger.

"How dare you," Tomo shouted back, "Do you have any idea how much I cared for her?! Hell I was giving her more attention then you were...her own family. She only turned to me because you were ignoring her. Don't vent on me because of your own guilt!"

"Then tell me," Kohta said condescendingly, "Who else could have done this. Nana maybe? Or Mayu? Perhaps it was Wanta? It could have even been you?"

"I'm not saying she didn't do it." Tomo turned and gave Lucy a weary look. "I'm just saying we should try and get to the bottom of this in a collected manner."

"So you're a detective now are you," Kohta barked. Tomo was looking increasingly annoyed, and the two young men were so close to each others faces their noses were separated by inches. They both looked near about to fight one another.

"Stop it you two," Mayu begged, "We shouldn't be fighting like this!" Tomo took a deep breathe, then looked behind himself at the decapitated body of Yuka.

"I don't expect you to understand this Kohta, but I've been on my own for as long as I can remember. Since I was homeless, everyone gave me odd looks and tended to avoid me. Then there was Yuka." Tomo knelt down by her, picking up her head and hold in close to him, he too now starting to cry. "She was the first person who really wanted to know who I am. And I'm as hurt by this loss as much as you. Lucy, please tell me you didn't do this!" Everyone turned now to stare at Lucy, who suddenly felt like a rat who had been backed into a corner.

"Kohta please listen to me," Lucy said sitting back up. Kohta face, the tears on his cheeks and the anger in his eyes was in sharp contrast to one another.

"I hate you!"

"Why won't you listen to me?"

"Get out! I never want to see you again!" The air vanished from everyone's lungs. Lucy just hung her head in silent defeat, then, very slowly, as if marching toward the guillotine, walked outside the gate, and didn't ever look back once. Nobody went after her or tried to stop her.

* * *

Lucy sat at the graveyard just at the bottom of the steps, her legs held tightly to her chest. Her back pressed against a tombstone, she found it strangely ironic that this was the place she decided to come to. Here, at the spot where she and Nana had fought so passionately. And here, where she tore her body to shreds, despite her pleas of mercy. A past she knew now, she'd never escape. It was all over now. She had nowhere to go. Nowhere she belonged. And no one who wanted her. Even Kohta had now abandoned her. The one she loved most, and who she once believed loved her in return. It was so cruel that just the previous night they had lain together for the first time. The sadness and loneliness she felt now was so real she though they might take physical shape. Even worse was that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shed a single tear. And she still loved him.

She waited there for no one, not wishing to move. There was nowhere for her to go anyway. She would stay here till she died. Here her bones would lay and turn to dust just as they were now. There wasn't anything for her anymore. She buried her face in her knees, trying to shut out the cruel world in which she would give anything to escape. Her face was buried so deep that she didn't she the familiar figure approaching her.

"Are you ok," Tomo asked. Lucy looked up at him with disgust.

"Leave me alone," she spat. He tried to place a loving hand on her shoulder, but she violently shoved it off and buried her face back into her legs. Tomo didn't waste any time beating around the bush.

"Look, I know you're not feeling very good right now," he said understandingly, "Kohta said some really nasty things. But I know you didn't do it, and I'm just here to let you know you don't have to be alone anymore." Tomo tried to embrace her, but Lucy pushed him back with her vectors.

"I said go away," Lucy said, her voice rising. "You turned on me just like everyone else did. I should have listened to the feeling I got when I first met you."

"Lucy," Tomo began, reaching his wits end, "Why do you constantly push me away. Don't you get it, I understand you."

"You don't know me," Lucy scolded him, turning her back on him, "You don't understand anything." Tomo leaned close to Lucy's ear. So close she could feel the heat from his breath.

"I know more then you think," he whispered, "I know that the reason you hide up in your room is because you're afraid. You're afraid of your powers, afraid you might hurt someone. So you cut yourself off from the rest of the world to protect them. But all that does is increase your suffering. I understand the pain, the loneliness you feel inside yourself everyday. Creeping up on you to choke the life out of your soul. I know all about your time at the orphanage. Your time alone. I feel your memories as strongly as if they were my own. And about that girl named Nyu." Lucy shuttered. She had never mentioned that name to him before. "You're different from normal people Lucy. You're better then them. And I'm here to tell you not to be afraid of your gift. Embrace it. Treasure it. It's what makes people like us so much better then the humans. We belong together you and I. Because we're exactly the same." Lucy got up and slowly turned around. Tomo backed away precisely a few inches out of two meters. He was standing calmly, with a friendly smile painting his young features.

"Who are you?" Tomo reached into his pocket and threw at her feet two small objects. At first, from the sound they made when they clattered to the ground, she thought they were stones. But as she picked them up to examine them, she remembered their all too familiar shape. And at the base they were both jagged, as if roughly cut off by something, with two stains of blood. Realization washed over her like a tsunami. She looked up in horror, that smile on Tomo's face growing even wider. Almost sadistic.

"Yes Lucy," he said simply, "Yes."


	16. Chapter 16

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews_

* * *

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 16

Lucy jumped back and nearly bumped into the back of one of the graveyard's many tombstones. Out of reflex, she instantly stood in a defensive stance, ready to launch her vectors at any moment, all the while wondering how this person, who she was close to considering somewhat of a friend, could possibly be a...what he was suggesting. More puzzling was that she'd always believed she was the only pure diclonius. Yet here another one stood before her; still, almost rigid.

"That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for," Tomo said with a shrug.

"You can't be a diclonius," Lucy said in disbelief.

"Oh, but I can," he answered arrogantly.

"What about your eyes? There not red," Lucy questioned him.

"Oh yeah." Tomo reached up and pulled out his colored contacts, blinking strongly once they were removed and thrown to the ground, revealing two red pupils. "Man, I can't tell you how irritating those things are," he casually remarked.

"Your hair isn't pink either," Lucy said, continuing to look for an excuse to dismiss this as nothing more then a cruel joke. Tomo gave a short grunt of a laugh.

"It's hair dye," he said as if the answer was so simple.

"But who've been here for months! It shouldn't last that long!" Tomo gave another, stronger grunted laugh.

"I came from a science lab Lucy, I'm pretty sure they can think of a way to make dye last longer then it should." Lucy searched deeply for something that would make all these dark revelations not true.

"How come I can't sense you then? All diclonius have the ability to sense the presence of others when we're close," Lucy said, certain she'd found the loop hole around him.

"Oh I almost forgot about that. I've been doing for so long now I don't notice I'm doing it anymore." Tomo closed his eyes, and a moment later, a wave of power and presence rushed through Lucy's mind. So severe was it that it made her fall to one knee. And in that moment, she knew everything he said to be true. He was a diclonius. And a powerful one at that. As she slowly became aware and used to this new feeling, composing herself, she recognized his presence and had felt it once before.

"You," she said sharply, "You're the one I felt in my dream that night! The one I felt when I came to the beach!"

"Bingo," Tomo replied, nodding his head.

"But why all the secrecy? Why would you go so far just to hide the fact that you're a diclonius?" she asked wildly. Tomo cocked his head to one side, crossing his arms across his chest.

"After the way you reacted to Number 7 and 35, I doubted you'd react any differently to me. So I had to hide my true identity until I was certain I could gain your trust and friendship," he responded. Tomo gave her a confident look, and a shock truth forced its way into Lucy.

"You lured me to the beach that night didn't you?! You set me up! You lured me there just to fight that guy and save me at the last minute! All to earn my trust?!"

"Well when you say it like that of course it sounds bad," Tomo retorted, throwing his hands in the air. Lucy felt a rage rising inside her that she'd not felt in many years. A anger and hate she hoped was long since dead. But she'd been betrayed. And worse, by someone close to her.

"Why are you doing all of this?" she shot. Tomo smiled mischievously, walking toward her with a small strut. She reeled herself back, ready for an attack and ready to attack. But he did nothing but walk toward her, and Lucy was too frozen by his power to doing anything. Close enough now to hear him breathing, Tomo took his hand and clasped it over Lucy's chin.

"Because I love you Lucy." He pulled her into a rough kiss, shoving his tongue down her throat. Lucy mind reeled with disgust. She extended a vector to strike him down, but he back flipped out of harms way before she even fully extended her vectors. "That wasn't very nice." Lucy began spitting madly, trying to get his taste out of her mouth.

"What was that for?"

"It's something I heard that humans do to people they love," he said calmly, licking his lips, savoring the taste. "Did you not enjoy it?"

"It was disgusting. Wait a minute, how can you hide your presence from me?" she asked, suddenly wondering how he had hidden his diclonius aura for months. Tomo put his hands on his hips and gave Lucy a rather pathetic look, like he pitied her for some unknown reason.

"All diclonius can do it," he said plainly.

"I can't," Lucy answered back.

"Of course you can. You just don't know it. Let me ask you something; when you where this Nyu person, were you not technically still a diclonius?" Lucy thought about this for a second. She'd never actually considered that before, but guessed he was right. "And yet why couldn't Number 7 or Number 35 sense you? It's because in that state, you were subconsciously using this innate ability that we all have. Of course only pure diclonius can do it and it's a very difficult ability to learn that requires a mastery of diclonius powers. Thankfully...I have both," he said with a evil grin that clearly was meant as a warning.

"How do you know all this? About Nyu and everything about me!"

"My sensory abilities are stronger then most diclonius or silpelits. It's so strong I can actually see into your mind. Oh I can't read your mind or anything," he added after the alert look on Lucy's face, "But I can see into your memories, especially memories tied to strong emotions. And I can feel what you feel. Like right now, your feeling both anger and fear toward me. Well good news for you, you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not here to hurt you. As for anger, you'll just have to get over that on your own."

"Then why are you here?" Lucy said.

"LUCY!" Nana came running from the stone steps and over the rising steps to the graveyard, a fearful expression on her face. Lucy didn't need to guess what had made her so frantic.

"STOP," Lucy yelled at her, halting her before she was within Tomo's range. Tomo eyed Nana with a keen interest.

"What's going on," Nana asked bewildered, "After you left I suddenly got this really strong feeling! And what's Tomo doing here?"

"It's him Nana," Lucy said pointing at Tomo, "He's a diclonius. And he came here after me." Nana looked on in disbelief at what she was hearing.

"So good of you to join us Number 7," Tomo said in a welcoming tone, "This saves me the trouble of having to go back up to the house to fetch you." Tomo began pacing back and forth between Lucy and Nana, seemingly unafraid of the fact that he was boxed in.

"Now I can take the both of you back with me."

"Back where?" Lucy asked threateningly.

"Back of the lab of course."

"So your here to take me back to Kakuzawa and that hell hole right? Back to put me under the knife again?" Tomo looked affronted by this accusation as he continued to walk from side to side.

"You misunderstand me Lucy. I don't want you to come back with me to serve him again. No, I want you to come back with me...to kill him."

* * *

Kohta sat alone in his room, curled up into the smallest ball his body could form. The whole of the house was as quiet and unmoving as if he was the only inhabitant left on Earth. His pain felt so intense. It felt like all the most horrible memories he'd ever experienced were being relived and compressed inside him all at one moment. So desperately he wanted to cry, but his eyes remained dry. He tried so hard to force out some physical manifestation of his grief that he felt his face tighten. Maybe he was finally out of tears to cry. But it wasn't Yuka's death that caused him such strife. It was what he'd said to Lucy and that now, she was gone.

This didn't make any sense. She'd killed another one of his family out of some jealousy, and hadn't he reacted in a perfectly acceptable way? So why did he feel so guilty? He crawled out of his ball and walked to Lucy's room where he surveyed the room and possessions now without an owner. He picked up articles of clothing, still fresh with her scent. He examined the little stuff elephant he'd bought her at the zoo. Over on the windowsill, he spotted a familiar, small wooden box as its brown color shined in the light. He strode over to it, and opened it to find a small sea shell as pink as Lucy's hair still inside. The solemn tune began to play, as more memories flooded Kohta's mind. He remembered how Lucy was when he first found her. How so sad she looked. How so alone she must have felt.

Without a thought in his head and not fully understanding why, Kohta dropped the music box where he stood, and bolted out of the room. He nearly leapt down the entire flight of stairs, quickly put on a pair of slippers, and marched out of the gate, slamming the door shut as he went. He knew if he hurried, he could catch Lucy before she got too far.

* * *

"Kill him?" Lucy and Nana said together in astounding tones.

"Is there any echo or something?" Tomo mocked. He gave a cruel laugh, thinking that what he had said was witty and funny.

"You want me to come back with you just to kill a bunch of people," Lucy said in protest.

"You seem to have forgotten something Lucy. The humans don't deserve your mercy or your pity. The humans are nothing more then a failed experiment, one that God is trying to remedy. And to correct his mistake, he created us. A new race to take back the Earth and bring it back to its former beauty. To the way he meant it to be. But as always humans try to attain the forbidden fruit for their own. Kakuzawa has tried for many years to learn our secrets to use for his own devices. For this sin alone, he and all his lackeys must be punished."

"But why did you lie to us? Why did you live in Kaede House with us if all you wanted was to steal Lucy?" Nana chimed.

"When I first got here, I had to hide myself so as to keep the element of surprise. However, this does weaken my own sensing abilities. All I knew was that you were somewhere in the city, which the facility had already informed me, and thus amounted to nothing. But then I saw you one day with Kohta, and so I followed you home. Once you lead me there, I knew you had grown to close to the humans, so I had to pry you away from them. Only then could you clearly and willingly see my point of view. So then I met that stupid human. And using him, I was able to win everyone's trust and was able to destroy your pathetic little family. From the inside out." There was a long silence between the three of them as his treachery slowly sank into their bones.

"Did you kill Yuka?" Lucy asked coldly. Tomo snickered before answering.

"I admit that wasn't originally part of my plan. In all honesty, it could have destroyed my entire plan. However, I believe it worked out quite nicely to my advantage," he said with a smirk. In a fit of rage, Lucy launched herself at him, but he briskly moved aside, dodging her with the greatest and most casual ease. She now stood shoulder to shoulder with Nana, looking at Tomo with great disdain in her eyes.

"You son of a bitch," Lucy snarled at him.

"Lucy wake up," Tomo shot sternly, "You don't belong with the humans. You belong with me. Don't you get it, we were made for each other...literally. It's our destiny. We're the Adam and Eve of the next generation. As long as the humans live, they will suck up all the happiness for themselves and leave none for us. But you and I have a chance to secure a future for our children and brethren. Don't you want that?"

"I'm happy right where I am," Lucy declared.

"I don't believe you," Tomo said, "If you were happy, then why would you feel the need to hide from your so called 'family'?" Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but no words escape her lips. "You two will come with me, whether you want to or not," Tomo demanded.

"And what makes you think we'll go with you," Lucy said defiantly. Just at the moment she uttered those words, Kohta came rushing from the bottom of the steps leading up to the graves. Before Lucy could call to tell him to stay away, Tomo swiftly rushed past them, grabbing Kohta by the waist with one of his vectors and lifting him high into the air.

"This does," he said confidently. Nana and Lucy looked on helplessly while Kohta struggled against the invisible force.

"PUT HIM DOWN," Lucy demanded.

"No," Tomo replied. Lucy bent her knees ready to leap at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm faster then you, and before you could even get one foot off the ground, he'd be dead." Lucy considered this a moment, then deciding it wasn't worth risking Kohta's life, obeyed him.

"What's happening?!" Kohta cried from above.

"I believe I'm using you as leverage. Either Lucy and Number 7 over there come with me, or I slice you in two," Tomo told him while eyeing Lucy and Nana. Kohta eyes were bugging out of his skull in confusion.

"Kohta, he's the one who killed Yuka. He's been trying to turn us against each other from the beginning," Nana explained to Kohta. Kohta looked down on Tomo in shock, then realizing what must be holding him up, he quickly turned to fury. He began fighting against the vectors with greater force, all of his efforts in vain.

"YOU BASTARD," Kohta shouted, "YOU BASTARD! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" It started as a small snicker, next a mild chortle, and finally a loud cackle. "WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY?!"

"Nothing," Tomo said whipping away a tear, "It's just so like a human to blame everyone accept himself."

"You killed her," Nana cried, "And you made Yuka and Lucy fight each other. You made me distrust her. You turned us all against each other."

"Sorry, but your only half right. True I killed Yuka, there's no getting around that. But what I didn't do is make any of you do anything. All I did was bring out the emotions that were already inside you." He looked to and from one person to the next. "Your hate, your jealousy, your mistrust, and your prejudice. All I did was show you the door; in the end, you were the ones to go through it."

"But you trick us into thinking that way!" Kohta protested, having giving up trying to break free of Tomo's grip.

"Yes, but the decision was still yours alone. Didn't it occur to you that maybe since I was the last one seen with Yuka that maybe I was the one who killed her. Yet you were so quick to blame Lucy with no proof. All you would have needed to do was look up in my closet, and there would be my blood stained clothes waiting to be used as evidence." Kohta suddenly looked very guilty. "You can keep them if you want. Call it a keepsake so as to remember your dearly departed Yuka." Kohta clenched his teeth in quiet anger.

"You humans are so inconsistent. You were given this planet and you polluted it, depriving it of all its resources. You discriminate against anything that isn't exactly like you. You even kill your own kind, then claiming it's in the name of God or some other noble cause as if to be saved by some loop hole." Tomo looked up at Kohta. "Let me ask you something, why, if you still believed Lucy killed your cousin, did you come after her?" The question hung in the air like a stubborn stench that refused to leave. After a silence that seemed unbreakable, Kohta spoke both weakly, yet strongly.

"I don't know," he answered, "No matter how many times I go over it in my head, I still can't explain why. By all rights, I shouldn't be able to forgive her for what she's done to my sister and father. But I do forgive her. I can't explain it, all I know is that I can't stand the idea of being separated from her."

"Kohta," Lucy said with tears.

"How romantic," Tomo mocked, "But meaningless. The real reason you want her near you is one of two reasons. Either A: you really love Nyu and are waiting for her to return. Or B: you keep her around you to make yourself feel better, having someone whose suffered much more then you."

"That's a lie," Kohta denied.

"Oh really?" Tomo didn't sound convinced. He gave a small spit of saliva that flew through the air until traveling to the ground. "I swear you humans make me sick to my stomach."

"And you make me sick to mine," Lucy spoke scornfully.

"Now, are you going to come with me or not," he said turning a suggestive eye to Lucy and Nana. Both looked torn between what they should do. "It's not a difficult choice, either you both come with me or he dies." Tomo gave a slight squeeze of his vectors, making Kohta squirm in pain.

"Wait," Lucy said. Tomo raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" Hanging her head, Lucy crawled over to Lucy and stood silently in front of him. A minute later, Nana followed. "Now that's good girls. That wasn't so hard." He released Kohta, letting him fall painfully to the concrete walkway. Tomo turned to walk to away, Lucy and Nana following close behind like dogs on a leash being pulled by their master.

"Lucy. Nana," Kohta called as he got up, "LUCY! NANA!" Neither of them looked back as their forms grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the streets.


	17. Chapter 17

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence._

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 17

"Yes, I have them both with me now," Tomo said into the cell phone held close to his jaw. "Send a chopper to pick us up. Don't worry, I'll make sure they act accordingly," he assured the Director on the other side, casting a sly smirk toward Lucy and Nana as the stood quietly next to him by the beach. "We're looking forward to seeing you again." After that, Tomo listened for a brief second before finally hanging up, dropping the phone into the sand, then crushing it with one of his vectors. As the phone shattered, Lucy and Nana stood unfazed.

"They're on their way," Tomo told them. Silence. "Giving me the silent treatment heh?" Lucy gave him a hard glare; then turned back forward. Tomo just scoffed. "You know, for being the one who helped set you free, you're not being very grateful to me."

"What the hell are you babbling about," Lucy spat.

"Oh that's right," Tomo gasped, "I never finished explaining things. You remember how you were released from the facility right? That was my doing."

"No, it was Kakuzawa's son who helped me escape. He told me himself," Lucy said confidently.

"Yes, but it was I who put the idea in his head." Lucy and Nana looked confused. "Let me explain. You see, you weren't the only diclonius Kakuzawa and his son were interested in, Lucy. They were both just as interested, if not more so, in me as well. And why shouldn't they be, me being the king and all."

"Excuse me?" Lucy said surprisingly.

"Don't tell me you didn't realize it by now," Tomo said, throwing her a smarmy look, "God creates everything in twos my dear. Night, and day, life, and death. King...and queen," he said gesturing to himself, then Lucy, who looked positively thunderstruck. "If you don't believe me, just feel my presence. I think that will be proof enough." Both Lucy and Nana reached out with their minds, and sure enough, his aura felt similar, almost identical to Lucy's. He was the king. "When I said we were made for each other Lucy, I really meant it."

"Anyway, the young Kakuzawa and his father would visit me form time to time and talk with me; mostly about their lofty ideas about recreating humanity. Then, the professor came to me one day with his plan to overthrow his father, and wanted yours and my help. He wanted to release me, then have me help break you free. You see, both of them were arrogant enough to believe I was an obedient little test subject and served them. What a bunch of fools. But there was a problem; if I escaped first, I knew, due to your unpredictable nature, that they would never send you out to get me, no matter how desperate Kakuzawa got. So I suggested him to set you free first. He agreed, and released you. Then, as I predicted, after attempt, after attempt to capture you failed, they came to me, begging for my help. And so they sent me to find you, and thus did my work for me. They set me free and I didn't have to do a damn thing. You were even kind enough to kill Kakuzawa so I wouldn't have to."

"You mean you planned this from the beginning?! You started all of this?"

"Ingenious isn't it?" Tomo said proudly. 

"There is something I don't understand," Lucy said, "If you're the king, then why haven't I seen or felt any other male silpelits."

"That's easy, because I've never spread the virus into a human carrier. You see, the reason all silpelits being born are women is because, in a sense, they are your children. When we infect a human, we pass on our gender into them, and so all silpelits born of that human will be the same gender as the one who infected them. Apparently, our vectors have some sort of effect to mutate the chromosomes that decide whether an fetus will be male or female. They change the chromosomes into a fixed match with our own. And in turn, all silpelits pass their gender into any human they themselves infect. And that is why you haven't seen any others like me." Lucy looked wearily at Nana, who was looking back with equal apprehension. It was more then awkward to learn that, on some level, Lucy could be considered Nana "mother". Hell, you could barely call them friends. "Unfortunately, this also leaves some genetic infections in the silpelit. The mutation has a rather unusual of rendering their ovaries or uterus incapable of functioning properly."

"How do you know all this?" Lucy asked.

"Unlike you, when they were experimenting on me, I actually would listen to what they were talking about." 

"So what's your little plan?" Nana spoke up, eager to change the subject. Tomo smiled as if he was waiting for someone to ask him just that.

"Once we're there, we kill any and all humans, and release the silpelits. Then we send them out into the world to infect as many humans as possible. Then after I spread my virus into a few humans to create a few male silpelits, Lucy and I will head off, giving birth to pure diclonius after pure diclonius and killing as many humans as we can find. Then we shall fight the humans and take back the planet for our own"

"But there's a problem with your plan; all silpelits are infertile. So how can we maintain a steady population to fight the humans if you and I are the only ones capable of giving birth to other fertile diclonius?" Lucy asked.

"Once our children are old enough, you and I shall have to lie down with them, and them with each other," Tomo stated plainly, Lucy and Nana looking aghast. "Taboo perhaps, but in desperate times, desperate measures are needed for survival." He suddenly got a very solemn look on his face. "We will never live to see the day when diclonius rule this world. But all I care about now is securing a future for our people. Once our population is stable enough to hold on its own, we will launch the last great war this planet shall ever see, and we will finally have a home."

"You're sick," Lucy said. Tomo's eyes narrowed at her.

"Why do you constantly deny what you are? You're a diclonius, not a human. And I know you still feel the urge to kill Lucy. I can sense it in you right now. But you do a good job at fighting it. So why don't you do what's natural to you? Why do you care so much about the humans after what they've done to you?" Tomo declared.

"I don't," Lucy retorted, "I still think they're mostly worthless. But even still...I want to try and understand them. I'm tried of living with this hate and grudge. I was trying to learn live with them."

"A meaningless effort," Tomo said, "The humans will never accept us. Think about it, they've discriminated against us simple because we have a few bones sticking out of our head. Think of what they'd do if the majority knew what we're really capable of. There will never be a place for us unless we make one ourselves"

"That's not true," Nana said finally speaking up, her soft and weak voice doing little to advance her assertiveness. "Papa cared about me."

"Is that so? Then why did he send you to fight Lucy even though he knew you couldn't win. I'll tell you why; it's because he wanted you gone."

"You're lying." 

Tomo continued on as if he didn't hear her, their sentences overlapping. "And then he kicked you to the curb like yesterdays newspaper after finding his real daughter. Admit it; to him, you were nothing but a cheap substitute."

"LIAR!"

"Leave her alone," Lucy demanded, shielding Nana with her body.

"I used to think just like the both of you," Tomo began, "I used to think we needed the humans to survive. I thought that killing them was beneath a diclonius. But then, just recently, I had an epiphany. We don't need all the humans to survive...only a few." Tomo opened his lips to speak again, but was quickly distracted by an odd and powerful sensation inside his head. Lucy, felt it also, turning her attention toward the horizon.

"What's going on," Nana asked.

"I'm not sure," Lucy answered. It was odd. She felt the small traces of silpelits screaming out in agony, then just as suddenly vanish into nothing. Her telekinetic abilities were not as strong as Tomo's, so she could be sure as to what she was exactly feeling. Tomo, on the other hand, was on both knees, scratching at his hair as if trying to get rid of lice borrowing deep into his skull. His face looked tight and pain stricken.

"Damn you Kakuzawa," he said, "DAMN YOU!" 

* * *

Aoma walked slowly and professionally through the white halls with a small, untraceable spring in his step. When he woke up this morning, he felt it was going to be one of those days when it didn't pay to come into to work, and were he was greatly considering going back to bed and calling in sick. Luckily, he forced himself to come in, and it looked like his good karma was paying off; big time. Finally, after all his time here, he was finally going to get to do something fun and interesting for once. The order had been just handed down from Director Kakuzawa himself that all remaining subjects were to be terminated, and he was fortunate enough to have been selected to "do in" Number 55. All throughout the facility, you could either hear the sounds of subjects being disposed of, or see their bodies being carted off toward the boiler room to be tossed into the furnace. He arrived at the automatic doors with a large red 55 painted on both sides. Clasping a small black pistol inside his lab coat, he walked forward as the doors opened instantly to his presence.

Once inside the room, he saw through the glass a pair of SAT units injecting a clear substance into the front cranial area of Number 55 with a rather long needle, giving Aoma the chills for a brief moment. He never liked needles. Once the fluid was inserted completely into her head, the ran back toward the room and informed him that Number 55 was now sedated and would be unconscious and unable to use her vectors for at least an hour. Good, that meant Aoma could take his time. He dismissed them, then proceeded to enter the large research chamber where Number 55 hung off a pair of shackles chained to the wall, her body limp and her face as absent as always.

"And so here we are," he said as he knelt down beside her, "I'm going to tell you a little secret. You've probably been the most boring job I have ever been given you know that. With all I here about you diclonius, the least you could have done is spice up my job a little bit. You know, be more like that Lucy. Fight, resist every now and then. She at least made things interesting around here. It figures that the day she escapes would be my day off." He looked all around the boxed room, as if suddenly feeling nostalgic. "Mom and dad never wanted you. When you were born, they were disgusted that their daughter was some horned freak. Oh, they pretended to be sad when they heard you died of some chromosomal irregularity, but trust me, they were glad you were gone." Aoma lifted her head by the chin, play with her face before giving her expressionless face a few goodhearted slaps. "Mom died only a month after you were born. Doctors said it was some internal bleeding. A problem with the birth, but I know that it was you who killed her. You killed her from the inside." Aoma stood on his feet, lifting the gun from his pocket and leveling it at Number 55's temple. "I'm doing everyone a favor. Bye bye...baby sister." Aoma pulled the trigger, and a loud pop echoed through the room. A huge splatter of blood covered the wall, floor, and a good deal of Aoma's clothes, staining them. Number 55's body continued to hang lifeless and limp from her chains, now a quarter of her head blown off, exposing the innards of her brain.

Aoma drew the key from the other pocket and unlocked her hands. He let her body fall to the floor, blood spilling from her open wound. After giving her body a few kicks, he hoisted her over his shoulder and headed toward the boiler room. As he guided himself through the halls and toward the furnace, he eagerly anticipated throwing her body into the fire and watching it burn to cinders. 

* * *

The helicopter roared through the clear blue sky over the ocean by Kamakura with its three passengers, its blades spinning so fast they blurred. Up front, the pilot shouted commands into his headset to be heard over the propellers while Tomo, Lucy, and Nana sat quietly in the back. The feelings of the dieing silpelits had now become so faint that either one of them barely felt anything. By the time they reached the island facility, all three of them were certain that none would be left alive. Tomo's hands were clenched into a tight fist, but his face was stoic. He sat with his head held high and his face forward, while Nana hung her head and examined her feet. Lucy, on the other hand, was in a state in-between. Sitting here, she felt so unsure of herself. Why was she going back? The never ending tide of conflicting questions and answers running through her now gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

_Prepare yourselves_, Tomo warned them with his mind, _We will be arriving soon. _The rest of the flight passed in apprehensive silence. Though the propellers could clearly be heard from outside, to Lucy, it felt as if the whole world had gone silent. Through the window in the front where the pilot sat, she could clearly see a small rock of land making its way over the horizon. Slowly, it grew bigger and bigger, becoming more defined. The land held her gaze, as it was quickly forming into the place that had been her hell for three long years. She cursed fate for being so cruel as to return her to this place one again. The helicopter began its descent toward the landing platform just beyond one of the entrances into the facility. She felt the pressure in her stomach increase as the pilot lowered the machine closer and closer to the ground, until with a rocky thump, they landed, as her stomach gave an even stronger lurch. The propellers began to slow, and their cry was starting to die down. The nameless pilot began flipping and pressing switches so quickly it look like he was doing it at random.

"We're here," he called back to them, still shouting over the propellers, "The Director is waiting for you in his office. You should"

His voice was swiftly cut through as Tomo used one of his vectors to slice the mans head clean off, as a pillar of blood showered from the mans gaping neck. The once clean and clear window was now stained with red, as the mans dead body sat comfortably still in the chair. Without a word, Tomo stood from his seat, and used another vector to force open the door off its handle. Once outside, his ponytail fluttered roughly in the breeze of the still dieing propellers. Looking outside, she noted that there were no guards or SAT units there to escort them. Tomo was right about one thing; Kakuzawa was, without a doubt, one arrogant son of a bitch. As Nana and Lucy lazily made their way to follow, Lucy noticed that Tomo was shedding his clothing, removing every piece until he was standing naked in the sun. Nana frantically shut her eyes when she finally noticed, while Lucy looked on with a mixture of disgust and fear.

"You two as well," he said commandingly, "Shed your clothes given to you by the feeble humans."

"No," Lucy said defiantly. Nana just shocked her head, her hands over her eyes.

"Have it your way," Tomo shrugged. "But I have to admit, I was looking forward to seeing a real woman's body." He gestured toward the entrance in a disturbing show of nobility. As Lucy walked by, she felt his hand come with a quick, open palm, smack of her behind. She recoiled, looking at him with greater disgust, while he just licked his lips perversely. Taking great long steps, Tomo walked past them, leading the way into the facility. Using his vectors to force the door open, the siren was immediately sound, sending a cry of alarm throughout the island. Even against its loud wailing, Lucy could of sworn she heard Tomo mumble,

"The genocide of humanity...is about to begin." 


	18. Chapter 18

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. This chapter contains extreme images of graphic violence. Read at your own risk._

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 18

The halls echoed loudly with the chaotic sounds of endless gunfire and the screams of the dying. They mixed together to form a sound so incomprehensible it made the ears ring. Tomo, Lucy, and Number 7 slowly walked from level to level, climbing higher and higher up the floors closer to Kakuzawa's office, killing anyone who came within range. From armed guards to scientists trying to flee with their lives, no one was spared. Nana cringed from behind, shuttering at every sound of a person being severed by vectors, while Lucy joined in the massacre, but only half heartedly. Tomo, however, found the carnage to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. More beautiful then that sunrise at the beach, more comforting then the trees and plants of the garden back at Kaede House, and more surreal then the feel of the breeze and sun on his skin. He slaughtered them with a feeling of justice and passion that only increased his feelings of elation. He moved with purpose in every step and with every human he cut down. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder to view as to how Lucy and Number 7 were reacting.

Number 7's behavior was downright embarrassing. She walked so tight and so closed it was a wonder how she was managing to keep up with his powerful strides. It was obvious to even a blind man that she was still attached to the humans and afraid of her won diclonism. If that didn't change soon, he would have to dispose of her as well. He then turned his attention to Lucy, who was acting more appropriate, but still not entirely there. She killed just as elegantly as he, but her body was slow and unenthusiastic, and her face was distant. It was almost like her soul had left her body, and it was now moving strictly of its own accord. It appeared she still needed more convincing. But  
for now, she was here, and that was all that he needed. She would turn to his side eventually. Right now, they had more important things to focus on.

A female scientist with flowing brown hair tried to sneak from around a corner they had just passed, hoping to escape with drawing their attention. But she had moved too suddenly, as Tomo reached out and grabbed her before she could even make the turn. He removed both of her arms, letting her scream in agony in the air, holding her up there to simply bleed to death in lagging suffering. Her body became limp, and Tomo tossed it against the side wall, the blood still pouring from her shoulders splattering the smooth white wall. As they turned the next corner, a blockade of guards stood before them, firing off their automatic machine guns, sending rounds of bullets at them. Lucy used her vectors to block the bullets as easily as she would block the rain from falling in her eyes.

The men screamed battle cries as they continued their vain attempts. As their guns emptied and they quickly tried to reload, Tomo sliced all of their guns in two, leaving them weaponless. He used one of the bluntest pieces of the gun and hurtled it into one of the men's face. He fell forward dead, as the others shakingly back away. One of them felt a surge of bravery as he pulled a knife from his belt and charged at them, holding his blade to the sky. Tomo dispensed of him happily, his body still flying forward due to the momentum of his charge. He picked up the dagger, and again launched it into the face of another soldier. As their companion fell, they turned to take off at a full  
run, but Tomo killed them before any of them had taken their third step.

With each floor they climbed, it remained much the same. It was starting to get to the point where Tomo wasn't giving Lucy or Number 7 any time to kill others. So fast were his reflexes that he could kill them before either of the others realized there had been another human. Tomo was having the time of his life. And all the while, there was this calm smile on his face as he whistled the tune from the music box.

* * *

Aoma was starting to think this day couldn't get any better. After killing Number 55 and with the termination of the other silpelits, he figured any fun from this place had been sucked away for good. But he was wrong. When he heard the alarm sound, he thought it was because one of the subjects was giving someone a hard time with its extermination. But it turned out to be something much better. Number 86, Number 7, and Lucy had returned. Not only that, but they were killing off tons of people and the order had been given to quell them. All SAT units and security guards were required to arm themselves and fend off the invaders, and the scientists were told that if they could fire a gun their assistance would be greatly appreciated. Finally, Aoma thought as he was handed a weapon, I get to finally see some real action. As he followed the sounds of screams and gunshots, he savored the feel of his hands on the metal barrel and his fingers on the trigger.

Running down the halls, peering around corners, Aoma felt like one of those soldiers he'd seen in those countless war movies he loved so much. And he'd seen enough action in them to really know what war was about. Hell, with movie technology what it was these days, they had to be able to capture the reality of war and death. Aoma cast a disapproving glance to the scientists running and yelling past him. What a bunch of wimps, he thought to himself.

He came to a long wall covered by elevators doors and pressed the nearest button. Minutes later, the elevator to his right finally arrived, the arrow above the doors glowing a florescent white and giving a small chime as it blinked on and off. The doors slowly opened, and Aoma stepped inside, pressing the button for the next floor down. He felt a small lurch as the elevator began moving. Aoma started tapping his foot impatiently against the floor, cursing the facility for having what he called, "the world's slowest elevators". The elevator gave a quick stop that made him buckle slightly, and a small number began blinking above the doors, signaling that he'd arrived at his desired floor. When the doors opened, Aoma's sense of excitement grew even more. He literally felt like he'd accidentally walked right into the set of an action movie being filmed. The pale lighting had been robbed from this floor, the bulbs shattered and what few remained flashed from life to death, sending the room into darkness, then into light, and back to darkness. Their quick transitions from on to off gave off the feeling of lightning being contained in the hall. Up ahead, bodies were scattered and sprawled every which way. Aoma pressed his back against the wall and crept along its side. His heart was pounding with anticipation. He felt like a real secret agent or something.

From around the corner, he could hear three different sets of feet making their way toward him. There was no mistaking who it could have been. Aoma took a deep breath and told himself it was now his time to shine. And if he was a religious man, he would have prayed to God. And he certainly was going to need that soon.

Aoma jumped from behind the corner and without looking to see who it was, raised his gun and fired a volley of bullets randomly. Shutting his eyes, he yelled so hard he felt like his voice box might explode within his throat. He held his finger firmly on the trigger until the gun clicked its sound of having an empty magazine. He kept his eyes shut, waiting for the sound of falling corpses. But the only sound he heard was the sound of tiny shells falling to the floor like marbles, not a single one having hit its intended target. Just as he opened his eyes to see what had happened, his gun was wrenched away from him and tossed off into the darkness of the hall beyond what any light could reach.

Standing before him were three figures; one male and two females. One was unmistakable Lucy, but for some reason, no longer had her horns. The other girl he'd never seen before, but would most likely guess it was that silpelit that escaped a few months earlier. The male was the most frightening of them all. He, like Lucy, had no horns, but the look in his eyes that he was giving Aoma was everything he needed to know what this man was. He stood naked before him as casual as if it was nothing. His hair was long and down to his shoulders, its color as black as the room surrounding them. It was ruffled and slightly messy, giving him a bedeviled look.

The bravery and desire for action that had driven Aoma to this act and been sapped from him in seconds. Now he stood there, shaking so violently it was hard to stand. He felt fear encompass him and felt like he was going to be sick. A warm feeling ran down his leg, and he realized he'd wet himself. Finally, he managed to work his legs into a running motion. He ran down the length of the hall, repeating in his mind that he didn't want to die. The male diclonius waited a few seconds before using his vectors to launch his body at Aoma, cutting him off before he could disappear around another bend. Aoma tried to react, but was quickly pinned against the wall, his arms and legs spread like a crucifix. The diclonius smiled at him grimly, picking up a large piece of steel from the floor and stabbing it into one of Aoma's palms. While Aoma screamed in pain, he picked up another piece of broken steel and shoved it into his other palm. Then launched a large piece of glass into his foot, then another until his body was suspended on the wall.

Supported by his makeshift crucifixion, Aoma began crying out for his mother like a weak and fragile child, no longer feeling brave and eager for excitement. Only fear and pain.

"MOMMY," he screamed through tears. The diclonius watched him cry for a second or two before picking up one final piece of debris and slowly inserted it into his throat. Unable to speak or breathe, Aoma gasped for air and words, but only succeeded in choking on his own blood. A few minutes later, his lungs now full of blood, Aoma slumped over, still hanging from the wall. Tomo watched his lifeless body for another moment, and then left him where he was. He joined Nana and Lucy by the elevators, pressing the top most button, which would lead them to Kakuzawa's office.

* * *

The hallway that lead to Kakuzawa's office was long and in sharp contrast to the ones that lay below it. Whereas they were littered with corpses, debris, and entirely unrecognizable, this one was untouched. The lights worked perfectly, emitting that whitish hue that had become the facility's signature color. The floors and walls were clean and spotless of even a single speck of dust. And at the end of the hall was a large pair wooden doors; an even greater contrast to the rest of the hall coated in metal. Tomo ripped open the doors with his vectors and lead Lucy and Number 7 into the office. The office was as finely decorated and trimmed as it had always been. The only room with any color, its blue walls and carpet floor were a beautiful aqua. Framed with hints of gold, various forms of comfortable looking furniture, and exotic potted plants, the room was definitely a show of refined and privileged taste. And standing behind his desk, looking out his windows with his back to them, was Kakuzawa. Almost as if he'd been expecting them like this.

"Welcome back," he said coldly, still not turning to greet them. Tomo and the others continued to march for the desk. "You've caused quite a mess around here. But no matter. Now that you've brought Lucy and Number 7 back to me, they are no longer needed. We can find new scientists to find the virus. In fact, I should thank you for having dealt with them for me." Kakuzawa was as calm and collected as ever, even in the face of possible death.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding between us," Tomo said as he reached the desk. Kakuzawa finally turned to meet him, seemingly unfazed by Tomo's nakedness. Their two pairs of red eyes burrowed deep into the ones across from them as they starred down each other.

"Oh is there?" Kakuzawa stated interestedly.

"Yes. You see, we don't serve you anymore Kakuzawa. In fact, we never did. We were just waiting for the moment when you'd mess up and set us free. Then we could rise up against you. We were just playing the obedient little guinea pigs. And now we've killed everyone on this island. You're all alone. You don't have anymore of your little servants. You've got your back against the wall Kakuzawa and there's no place to go. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you're going to die today," Tomo said powerfully.

"It is you who is misunderstanding the situation. Because I know who'll obey me," Kakuzawa confidently declared.

"And why would we do that?" Kakuzawa reached up and removed his wig to reveal his bald head and two horns, tossing the hair to the floor. While Lucy and Number 7 gasped in shock, Tomo remained silent.

"Because I'm the same as you. We belong to the same race. And you need me to eliminate the humans. I have the money and resources that will make our job so much easier. Only I know the best way for us to destroy the humans. Only through me can you be faithful to your destiny. These horns mark me as a diclonius, and you wouldn't kill your own would you?" Tomo extended two of his vectors and simultaneously cut off both of Kakuzawa's horns.

"What horns? I don't see any horns," Tomo said patronizingly as Kakuzawa fell on his knees in pain. Tomo used his vectors to lift up the desk as easily as if it was weightless and through it out the window. The enormous glass shattered and small broken pieces showered the room. Tomo paced around Kakuzawa like a vulture and looked down on him as sternly as a judge waiting to pass punishment on a condemned convict.

"You think a pair of horns makes you a diclonius. Me and Lucy don't have any horns and we're more diclonius then you could ever hope to be. When will you humans get it? It's not about having horns or even vectors that makes you a diclonius or not. It's about your state of mind." Forming a fist with his vectors, Tomo gave a hard right hook to Kakuzawa's left cheek that sent him to the plush carpet. "You think you can fool me? I know the real reason you've done all of this. You want to be a diclonius. A pure one and not some disgusting half breed that's more human then anything. You couldn't care less about our destiny. You're just as power hungry as any other human. But I have news for you." Tomo grabbed Kakuzawa by the head and lifted him up into the air. "There is only one king...and that's my job."

Kakuzawa's face became frantic and desperate. Things were obviously not going as planned. Tomo lifted Kakuzawa high into the air, then let him dropped back down to the floor, watching as he landed oddly on his front. From the sound of his impact, it was almost certain he'd broken a few ribs.

"No...wait!" Kakuzawa coughed up. Tomo ignored his pleas, cutting off the arm that Kakuzawa was reaching out with.

"We don't need you to do our job. We'll destroy the humans without your help. Now, I think it's time we repay you for all the pain you've caused us," Tomo cursed hungrily. His eyes narrowed. As Kakuzawa cupped his severed arm, Tomo sliced off his other, and before he even finished his screams, cut off both legs at once. Lucy and Number 7 just stood idly by, watching the events unfold with an odd sense of pity, and yet with some grim satisfaction. Kakuzawa lay flat on his back now, motionless and limbless. Tomo picked up the Director that now resembled a lifesize rag doll torn to pieces.

"I think its time to finish this." He placed the Directors head in-between two of his vectors into a vice like grip. He then slowly began increasing the pressure between them, forcing more and more strain on Kakuzawa's head. Tomo laughed as Kakuzawa tried to fight against the pressure, flailing his armless body around. Kakuzawa's face began thinning with the growing pressure, and his eyes were starting to bulge from their sockets. Then, with a great explosion of blood and brains, the Directors head was crushed. Lucy and Number 7 used their vectors to shield themselves from the raining blood, while Tomo let it cover him. Kakuzawa's misshapen heap of a body fell to the floor with a thud.

And just like that, it was over. After years of suffering oppressions at the hands of this beast of a man, after decades of his manipulating and planning, after breaking almost every morale code humanity had, Kakuzawa's life was finally ended at the hands of the very creatures he so feverishly wanted to become and control. In the end, not matter what he thought, he suffered the same fate of his equally delusional son. Their arrogance had been the doom of them both.

Tomo walked up to his limbless and headless corpse, removing the bloodstained tie from around what used to be his neck. After working with great difficulty to remove it properly, he turned around and tossed the garment to Number 7 who caught it in the air. "There. A nice little memento of your 'papa'. You like these things right?" Tomo said with cruel glee. Number 7 looked tearful as she tightly held the once clean tie between her fingers. Without another word, Tomo brushed past Lucy and Number 7, heading back toward the door. "Let's go," he commanded as he reached the door frame when Lucy and Number 7 failed to follow. They quietly obeyed him and they all made their way back down the halls. The facility that had just rung clear with the sounds of chaos was now as silent as the charnel house it now resembled. Bodies lay all over, their limbs scattered across the hall away from them. The rubble was still sending out echoes of the havoc that had just passed them, death continuing to emanate in the air. Lucy looked on with a guilty eye as he walked by the victims she recognized as her own. More faces that would now haunt her in her sleep. And these victims would surely haunt her even more because she didn't hold any malice towards them. Their deaths to her had felt so...meaningless.

They finally made it to the bottom level and back out the door from which they entered. Though the sun shown brightly, only Tomo felt its warm rays. Lucy and Number 7 on the other hand, could only still feel the cold of the confined metal halls they just exited. Tomo raised his arms high to the sky, taking in a deep breath of the salt air.

"Hear that?" he asked, bringing a finger to his ear. The others listened carefully, but heard no other sounds then the waves crashing against the rocky basin below. "That, my friends, is the sound of a new age beginning." Tomo turned to face them directly, standing erect and tall, his hands held behind his back. He looked like a general who was surveying his soldiers after a major battle. "You did well Lucy," he complimented her, brushing a strand of her beautiful pink hair from the side of her face. "But you," he said sternly, turning to Number 7, "I must say your actions in there were quite pitiful. I'm almost ashamed to call myself a diclonius." Number 7 gave him a very hard look through the last remnants of tears falling down her cheek.

"But you'll learn eventually," he said slyly.

"Talk all you want, I won't do anything you tell me," Number 7 defiantly denied. Tomo just smiled sweetly at her, bringing his face nose to nose with hers.

"Let me tell you something," he said to her just as sweet as his smile suggested, "Just like when you where here, the only reason you're being kept alive is because of your abilities. If you continue to defy me...well, use your imagination."

"Is that a threat," Number 7 demanded. She surprised even herself by her sudden assertiveness.

"I don't know...is it?" Number 7 could no longer hold herself back. Trembling from the sudden wave of emotion she was feeling, she launched on of her fake arms at Tomo's head, which he dodged. But before she could react, Tomo extended one of his vectors into her brain, squeezing the pineal gland and disabling her vectors. Unable to use her limbs, she fell on her back, dazed and confused at what had just transpired.

"That's a neat little trick you know," Tomo said down to her arrogantly, "Once Kakuzawa learned of your 'unique' ability, he made sure to teach it to me as well. I think I'm quite good at it don't you? Now I'll let that slide. But don't do that again," he threateningly told her. Tomo walked toward the edge of the landing platform just where the grass began to grow, letting his toes dig into the feel of the dirt. "We'll wait for her to regain control of her vectors, then we'll head back to Kaede House to kill Kohta and Mayu."

"WHAT," Lucy and Number 7 yelled together.

"We have to make sure that nobody knows about our existence. If anyone were to have any knowledge about what we are, it would only make our mission that much more difficult," he responded quickly to their response, like he'd expected their reaction and had prepared a reply.

"But I thought you said you'd let Kohta live if I came with you," Lucy asked.

"I lied." Tomo looked at Lucy again. "It's something you should be used to by now right? That girl from the orphanage, Kohta about taking Yuka to the carnival, Kurama about saving that girl...Kohta about loving you."

"Kohta does love me!"

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself? Think about it, how could he possibly love a monster like you? The person who killed his sister and father. I'll answer that for you...he can't. He loves Nyu, not you, and is only waiting for her to come back." Tomo paced behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and messaging her shoulders sexually. "But here's the difference between him and me, I can love that monster. In fact it's what I love most about you. Only I can love you for what you truly are," he whispered lustfully into her ear. "I know you still hear them Lucy. Those voices that tell you to kill. I hear them to. Would you like to know what they are? They're our vectors, trying to guide use down the right path. Don't resist them. Don't shut them out. Listen to them. They aren't your enemies. I'm not your enemy. I love you." Lucy starting shuttering with every breath of his she felt burying into her skin infecting her. Then, clenching her hand into a fist and grinding her jaw, shoved him away from her.

"No," she said unyieldingly, "I'm not listening to you anymore."

"What did you say?"

"You say were so different from humans, well I think we're the same. We laugh, cry, love, feel pain, hate, and even die just like they do. Why do we have to be so different? Just because we have horns and vectors? We're all capable of both good and bad, humans and diclonius alike. I understand that now. I've always felt like I was different and separate from them, but it wasn't just them doing it. I was doing it to myself as well. And you're doing the same thing. You can't even see that you've become just like the humans you hate so much. You talk about loving me but you don't even understand what that word means. You're too consumed by your hate to know anything else. And even if the humans don't accept me, as long as I'm accepted in that house by my family, that's all I'll ever need. So I'm going to keep trying. Because unless I let go of my hate, I'll never be happy. Until I finally put it behind me and move on, nothing will change."

Tomo looked totally dejected. He sighed thickly, hanging his head low below his shoulders. "I guess I can't change your mind?" Lucy shook her head in a clear sign of 'no'. Tomo gave another disappointed sigh. "Then you leave me no choice." The vector came at her so quickly Lucy barely had time to avoid it as it came crashing down on the place were she was standing, kicking up gravel and concrete in the air. Lucy rolled on her side and rising gracefully back on her feet.

"What are you doing?!"

"You've been corrupted by the humans Lucy. It's obvious to me now that you are beyond saving, and I will not let you hinder my destiny. It hurts me to do this, but I will do what I must...for the greater good of all diclonius," Tomo said simply, releasing all of his vectors.

"But I thought you said you needed me," Lucy asked him.

"I'll think of something," Tomo said as he lifted himself up into the air with his vectors, "After all, God is on my side." Tomo launched himself full speed at Lucy, and the final fight between king and queen began.


	19. Chapter 19

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews. It's almost over folks. Some of the actions in this chapter have forced me to change the rating of this story to M for Mature._

* * *

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Chapter 19

Kohta sat on the edge of the platform that lead to the garden outside, his back hunched over and his elbows on his legs, placing a majority of his weight on his knees. His face was low and surprisingly indifferent. He sat there with his mind spinning backwards and forwards inside his head. So much had happened within the few hours since the sun had risen. And yet, despite all the grief he knew he should be feeling right now with Lucy and Nana gone, all he felt was nothing; only a numbness that gripped onto him with choking ferocity. He felt so empty he was afraid he might break with the slightest touch. He felt no sadness, happiness, regret, pain, relief, or anything. It was as if emotions in general had become nothing more then a dream that could only be vaguely remembered, falling between his fingers before he could grasp it fully. He breathed in and out slowly and rhythmically; almost by default.

He looked up to see the sun shine between the leaves of Lucy's favorite cherry tree, giving it a positively immaculate look. Normally, Kohta would have found such a sight beautiful. But now, everything seemed so pointless. What was the point? He'd lost his father and Kanae. He'd lost Yuka. And now he'd lost Lucy and Nana; the women he loved and a girl who was as good as a sister to him. It seemed the people he loved were destined to be taken away from him eventually. He looked behind him at the unusually quiet house that was making it appear to be much larger then it really was. Then he lowered his head again looking back at his hands clasped together in a almost prayer like fashion. He never was a overly religious person, but right now, it felt like all he wanted to do right now was pray. Pray that by some miracle, Lucy and Nana would make it home safely somehow.

He didn't hear any noise, yet he was certain he felt the presence of someone behind him. He looked to see Mayu standing very timidly by the table, looking uncertain of herself. She fidgeted with her skirt for a moment before she finally spoke.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. Kohta looked away and didn't answer her back. Mayu walked to Kohta, lightly touching one of his shoulders. When he did not smack it away, Mayu placed her full hand on him comfortingly. She searched for the right words to comfort him with, yet nothing seemed appropriate for the job. So for the moment, she hoped her company would be enough to console him. There they stood; Kohta hunched on his kness and Mayu with her hand on his shoulder, looking down on him with great pity for what he must be feeling.

"It's going to be ok," she finally said, "I just know Lucy and Nana will make it back home safely."

"And what makes you say that?" Kohta asked, not sounding as hopeful as Mayu.

"I don't know. I have just have a feeling is all," Mayu answered him. Kohta turned his neck around to face her again, his expression suggesting that he didn't know whether to feel anger at what Mayu had just said or depressed.

"Forgive me for not being as optimistic as you."

"Kohta, I know what you're going through and"

"No you don't," Kohta interrupted her. His voice was mournfully weak and quiet, "All my life, it seems like nothing I ever do matters. When I first met Lucy, she looked so lonely on that mountain. So I wanted to be her friend to try and help her. But I still couldn't save her. I've lost my father and sister. I've lost Yuka. And now Lucy and even Nana. All the people I try to help just get taken away from me. What's the point anymore? My life has been full of nothing but regrets. And every time I try to make things better they just get worse. Why bother?" Mayu looked at him with such emotion that she could feel the tears starting to swell up in her eyes.

"Kohta, I know your not feeling too good right now, but you can't give into those feelings. If you do, then you'll really be lost to them. I was like that once too. When you first met me remember? I was so afraid of other people that I did want to let anyone in or help me. That way of living almost cost me my second chance at a real family. Lucy and Nana are like sisters to me. And you've taken such good care of me that your almost like a father." Kohta was taken completely by surprise at Mayu's revelation. He'd never heard her once speak so openly about how she felt about himself and the others. "And I loved Yuka like a mother. We're all sad about her death, but you have to realize you're not alone in this."

"What makes you so sure everything will turn out ok?"

"It's just something about this house," Mayu answered him. She looked all around her as if her words were written on the walls. "There's something magical about this place, something bonding. I know that as long as we care about each other, all we have to do is come back here and we'll be together again. Besides, your here right? I'm sure Lucy and Nana will be back soon." Kohta held her gaze for a moment before he fell into a tight hug, sobbing out years of held in emotions into her arms. It was strange, but for only fourteen years old, Mayu sounded very mature for her age. Afterwards, the both of them kneeled down together at the table, and prayed together for Lucy's and Nana's safe return home where they belonged.

* * *

The piece of earth came flying at Lucy with bullet speed, forcing her to duck and roll out of its trajectory. As she came out of her roll, she was prepared to make a move of her own, but Tomo was already on her, swing well aimed punches and kicks at her. Each attempted strike came closer to hitting her with every swing, and it was getting increasingly more difficult to dodge his blows. Tomo connected a punch to her stomach, sending her on her back and losing her breath for a brief moment. She rose back to her feet coughing while Tomo looked at her indifferently. She ripped out a large chuck of concrete from the landing platform behind her and threw it directly at Tomo's face. He ducked it, then used his vectors to push his body into a crushing tackle of Lucy's. On the ground kneeling over her, Tomo raised a vector, but Lucy forced him off her before he could strike.

Doing a back flip, Tomo landed gracefully on his feet, looking quite smug. Lucy rose back to her feet as the two of them starred each other down. Things were not looking good at the moment. Lucy's movements were much too slow and sloppy compared to Tomo's to get a devastating hit. She knew Tomo was just playing with her right now; she knew he was much faster and stronger then this. He was merely enjoying the thrill of adrenaline that only came when one was engaged in a life or death struggle.

The helicopter rose off its legs, and its bladed propellers were torn off its top. Tomo flung the blades at her like a Frisbee, the blades spinning in circles in the air. Lucy quickly bent over backwards and was able to see just how close the blades came to her face. Over exerting her body, she slipped on her legs and fell flat on her back, scratching her body against the rocks.

"Is this it?" Tomo spat at her, "God this is pathetic." Tomo rushed toward her and the two of them began exchanging blocks and punches with both hands and vectors alike. "You used to be feared. Now look at you; a shadow of your former self. Your moves are messy and you have no passion. I, on the other hand, was brought up in this place strictly for combat purposes. There's no way you can..." Lucy was able to use his taunting to her advantage, getting in a punch as hard as she could swing with her vectors. The blow sent Tomo flying in the air, and for the first time dealing a serious blow to Tomo as he hit the ground with hard force. Nana, who had finally regained control of her own vectors, turned away as he hit the ground and threw up dust to the winds.

Tomo rubbed a trickle of blood from his lips and examined the red color in contrast to his own hand. He looked completely unaffected by Lucy's hit and after looking at his blood, started laughing madly.

"Don't tell me that's all you got. Man this is such a disappointment," Tomo mocked.

"You're a monster," Lucy shot back.

"If I am I'm what the humans have made me, nothing else," Tomo replied. "Unlike the two of you I didn't have anyone to care for me!" Tomo launched himself again at Lucy, getting her with a swift roundhouse kick before she even knew he'd moved. "I didn't have a papa or any friends! I was born into a world that neither cared or wanted me!" Tomo's moves were now starting to become increasingly aggressive and even harder to predict. "I wasn't allowed to be anything other then this 'monster' you say I am! So if you must blame anyone for what I am...blame the humans!" Tomo gave Lucy a sharp backhand to the cheek that felt as powerful as any of his punches.

"You really are like a human," Lucy said, "You blame everyone except yourself." Tomo grabbed a fistful of dirt and threw in directly in Lucy's eyes. The dirt stung like thousands of tiny bugs eating away at her sockets as she tried to claw them out of her eyes.

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THEM! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW? YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

"Let me ask you something," Lucy said after removing the last specks of dirt, blinking madly to relieve the pain, "Why do you hate the humans so much?"

"Because that's the way it's meant to be. Despite what you may think, I don't hate the humans for what they've done to us. It's just human nature to hate and persecute what you're afraid of. Does the gazelle hate the lion for eating its kind? Of course not, that's just the way it is. It's the same with me. I hate the humans because I was born to hate them. We're their natural enemies, end of story."

"And you think that's excuse enough to kill them?" Lucy demanded.

"I'm not doing this because of that. I doing this because I want to be free." Lucy and Nana looked confused and surprised by his reaction and did not know what he meant. When he spoke again, his voice was trembling; as if bringing up something dreadful.

"Do you know what it's like to have this ability Lucy? To be able to perceive other diclonius so strongly that I feel what they are feeling; their anger, their hate, their pain...its all mine to feel. Every single diclonius that has walked into this place, I have felt every ounce of pain they felt as strongly as if it were mine. Imagine this for me Lucy, having pain rushing into you from every angle. Imagine it mixing with your own until it becomes blurred and your not sure which one is really yours. I sometimes wondered it I was real at all; if maybe I was just part of somebody else's nightmare. We're alone enough as it is, but with this ability I felt isolated from my own kind and even myself."

"But then the voice came to me one day. It told me how I could be free of all this. And that's to kill every last human; down to the last man, women, and infant. After the humans are gone, there won't be anyone to cause us anymore pain. And then I'll finally be free."

Tomo resumed his barrage of attacks, putting every ounce of emotion he'd every held back into every kick and punch. Lucy tried to swing a punch at him, but Tomo just ducked and jumped upward into a uppercut under Lucy's chin that sent her flying. Lucy's move were now starting to become even slower and unorganized then the were before. Now that Tomo had revealed himself, Lucy saw similarities between Tomo and herself. Some much so that whenever he threw a punch, what she really saw was a reflection of herself; of what she used to be. She was no longer sure if killing him was the right thing to do. She tried to sever one of his legs to immobilize him, but he jumped out of the way and kicked her in the jaw. She then tried to hurl some of the surrounding debris at him from a distance, but he succeeded in dodging all of them as well.

Tomo decided to play some "catch" of his own, ripping out the windshield of the helicopter and breaking it into many pieces. He hurled each of the pieces at Lucy one by one, some connecting and cutting her skin. As she dodged another piece of broken glass, Lucy noted that she wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer. She was quickly getting tired, and Tomo didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat.

"After I kill, I'd find it very interesting if you came back to haunt. I've always wanted to meet a ghost," Tomo said.

After he was out of glass, Tomo used the tail part of the helicopter to hurl it at Lucy. She was able to move out of its way, but the shattering ground where it landed made it unable for her to keep her balance as she fell. She looked up at saw Tomo leaping high over her body, ready to come down with the killing stroke of his vectors. He was too fast and Lucy would not be able to move out of the way in time. Lucy closed her eyes, preparing herself for death thinking, _Kohta, I'm sorry._

An age seemed to pass as Lucy held her eyes shut, yet nothing appeared to be happening. Afraid to open her eyes to see a gapping wound or a loss limb, Lucy forced herself to open her eyes. She found Tomo standing over her triumphantly with all four vectors fully extended. He looked down on her with an expression of absolute dissatisfaction.

"Are you kidding me?" he said. Lucy just looked back up at him. "Are you just going to give up this easily? You didn't even try to block me. You're just going to lie down and let me kill you like a dog? I though Number 7 was a disappointment but this is just sad. You're almost not even worth killing." Lucy tried to take advantage of Tomo's hesitation, but just as Lucy released one of her vectors, Tomo inserted a vector into the front of Lucy's forehead and disabled her vectors. She then tried to get him with her real arms, but just as quickly Tomo pinned her. "That's not very nice; interrupting me while I'm talking." Tomo bent over to look Lucy directly in the eye. "Why are you so willing to die for this species? They wouldn't do the same for you. They're a virus Lucy; killing off everything around them, even their own kind. They aren't worth your time. So tell me...why?"

Lucy wasn't even going to dignify that remark with a reply to that anymore. There wasn't anything she could say that he would understand. So instead, she looked at him with disdain that burned like fire, and then spit a huge mouth full of saliva into his eye. Tomo continued to smile, but appeared to be fighting back some fury as Lucy could notice his teeth clenching and his face convulsing. He wiped away the spit for his eye, continuing to smile before giving Lucy another hard slap of the face.

"Fine," he said, "If you're so eager to die, I'd be more then happy to grant you your wish."

* * *

Nana looked on at the scene unfolding before her as if she were a world apart. Neither one of them seemed to have noticed their sole spectator had finally regained control of her vectors and was now watching the ensuing battle intently. But most of her focus was actually on the raging battle going on inside herself. She felt as if she was in a deadly game of tug-o-war between her two halves; and she was the rope. One half wanted to jump in and help Lucy in her struggle against Tomo. Yet the other half kept telling her to be a good girl and not to hurt anyone; not even if they deserved it. She felt so confused. She wasn't sure what the right thing to do anymore was. Nana never wanted to have to hurt anyone. But she would have to if she wanted to help protect not only Lucy, but Kohta and Mayu. And if she continued to standby and do nothing, then Lucy would most definitely die and it would be all her fault. She weighed each option carefully, and every time she did the consequences of both grew worse. The world was spinning out of control before her eyes. Time seemed to be moving super fast, leaving her far behind to catch up. Now more then ever, she wished papa were still here with her now. She needed someone to clutch onto. But more importantly, she needed someone to tell her what to do.

* * *

Tomo took his time. Lucy was pinned and her vectors disabled for at least an hour. He'd won the fight. Destiny had won the day. There was no need to rush his victory too quickly. So he passed the time by slapping each side of Lucy's cheeks in wide arcs like a swinging pendulum. Her cheeks were now so red that she looked sun burnt. Growing tired easily of just slapping her around, Tomo smiled and decided on another little game to play. He lifted up the bottom of her tank top and slowly let his hand crawl up her stomach until he was cupping one of her breast with his hand. Lucy tried in vain to fight against his touch.

"Oh come on," Tomo said, "Don't tell me this doesn't feel good. I bet not even Kohta has touched you like this yet." Tomo started to squeeze harder on Lucy's breast. Then with his other arm he began rubbing it up and down the smooth of Lucy's back. "It's a shame you know...we could have been great together." Tomo sat back up right, looking around the place for something to use. Close by, he saw a rather long piece of broken glass that was practically begging to be used. Tomo reached on over and held the glass in his hand to examine it. Once he was satisfied with its shape and sharpness, Tomo held it high over his head with both hands, ready to plunge it into Lucy's heart. He froze it this position for a moment, a sadistic grin on his lips.

"Say hi to Yuka for me." Then he dropped his arms, the point of the glass falling toward Lucy.

Suddenly, both of Tomo's hands were cut by a mysterious force before they could fully fall. He rolled off of Lucy, trying hard to now clamp the pain in his wrist and force back the blood without any hands. Tomo looked up to see Nana only meters away. She looked even more shocked then any of them did. Her body was shaking and her eyes were wide. Her expression was saying _Oh God, what have I done_, as if to suggest that she did not mean to do it. Seething with fury, Tomo's face contracted into a deadly expression.

"YOU LITTLE RUNT!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

Tomo rose quickly and pounded over to Nana, who did not move. Right as Tomo began to raise his vectors to strike; he was stopped by a sharp and sudden pain in his lower back. He turned around to see Lucy there, impaling him with the same piece of glass he was only moments away from using on her. As Tomo gazed into her eyes, he saw there a certain determination he hadn't seen before. She gave the blade a quick twist and the pain surged its way up Tomo's spine. He coughed up a fistful of blood and fell to one knee as Lucy let got, leaving the glass in his back. Lucy ran around to check on Nana, who was still paralyzed by both shock and fear. After Nana assured her she was alright, Lucy looked back down on Tomo who was still kneeling. When he got back to his feet, Lucy was shocked to notice that he looked more amused then anything.

"So this is how it ends," he said, "How ironic." Lucy pushed Nana away in case Tomo decided to get in one last attack in an attempt to take one of them down with him. But Tomo did no such thing. He just stood there; wobbly and unbalanced. The blood poured excessively from both his wrist and his back, painting a circle of blood around him.

"Take heed my dear Lucy, for you are the last diclonius. The only pure one left in this world. But this isn't over. Another king and queen will be born, and another until this world is ours. Our time is coming, and you can't stop it. Whether it is by our hand or their own; humanity will be extinct. They don't have long to live. All you've succeeded in doing here is prolonging the inevitable." Tomo slowly began to back away, a trail of red dots following him. "I do not regret killing Yuka. Yuka was still just a human, and you both know as well as I do that they can't be trusted; no matter how kind they are to you. They're all greedy, cruel, arrogant, and worthless. They all have these qualities, even Mayu and Kohta. And they all deserve to die because of it."

Both Lucy and Nana just watched Tomo in silence as they watched him bleed to death. Tomo was now at the ledge of a cliff that lead to a rocky basin below. "It's funny, but I don't feel the pain anymore. I feel...free. I haven't slept in so long. I'm so...tired. Maybe now I can finally...rest." His words were becoming weaker and weaker and it was apparent it was taking all his strength to hold his weight up with his legs. His skin was now starting to turn a white, ghostly pale. "Lucy...I...love...you," he said with a true smile. And for the first time since he'd began telling her, Lucy was finally able to say she honestly believed him. Tomo turned his backs on them, looking out at the beautiful horizon of the sea: the crying of the seagulls, the colors of blue from both the sky and sea piling on top of one another, the clouds that looked as soft as pillows. He couldn't think of a prettier sight to behold just before death. His eyes glossed over, and he fell forward over the cliff's edge. Lucy and Nana ran to the side just in enough time to see his body smack against the sides of the rock and hit the water. His body contorted in odd angles, it took a few minutes before his lungs filled with water and he sank to the dark depths below.

Lucy and Nana were both silent. As Lucy watched his body sink to the bottom, Lucy had the strangest feeling she was watching what could have been her won fate at one point. Now, she was beginning to notice many similarities between what Tomo was, and what she used to be. The reflection was quite scary. Lucy heard a small sob and turned to see Nana crying slightly. She rubbed the tear away quickly once she noticed Lucy had seen her. Suddenly, Lucy felt like she had to say something. After all, if it wasn't for Nana, she'd probably be the one floating in the ocean by now. But what could she say?

"Thank you," Lucy said plainly, "For saving me."

"You're welcome," Nana replied. The two looked at each other trying to think of something else to say. But it was clear that there was still some apprehension between them. Both just stood still, twiddling their fingers.

"I'm sorry Nana," Lucy said.

"About what?" Lucy was still uncomfortable with saying it, so she instead just pointed to one of Nana's arms. Nana instantly knew what she meant, and the tension seemed to mount even higher with the mention of old wounds. "It's alright," Nana said, sounding like she said it more out of reflex. As Nana tried to walk away, Lucy pulled her into a tight hug that almost broke her ribs. Nana was caught in her embrace totally surprised and aghast. Never before had Lucy ever hugged her or even shown the slightest affection toward her. And now that she thought about it, she could even remember the last time Lucy called her by name.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy said through tears now. Nana patted her on the back to comfort her as Lucy sobbed into her shoulders. "I know I never really apologized to you. And I know there isn't anything I can do to earn your forgiveness. But still, I hope this can be enough."

"We're all capable of both good and bad right?" Nana said with a smile. And in a instant, both could feel the metal wall that had been built between them come crumbling down like a sand castle caught in the morning tide. "I forgive you Lucy." The two reunited sisters held each other once more as the distance between them grew even smaller. When they parted, they both looked down at where Tomo's body had sank below where any light could reach.

"I almost feel sorry for him," Lucy said, "He just couldn't let it go. And in the end, it consumed him."

"I was thinking," Nana added, "He said we're not human. But we are born from humans. We have the same feelings they do. We go through the same experiences they do. So doesn't that technically make us human too?" Lucy pondered this a moment. Never before had she heard it put exactly like that.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Lucy and Nana walked away from the cliff, but not before they gathered a small bouquet of lilies they found and tossing it over Tomo's cliff. They watched as it landed exactly where Tomo did and was washed out to sea by the waves. They started making their way back to the lab, but Nana stopped after two steps.

"Uh...Lucy." Lucy turned to follow her gaze toward the beaten down helicopter. It was tail torn off, its propeller missing, its windshield shattered; it was certain that this thing would never fly again. And even if it could, neither Lucy or Nana knew how to pilot it.

"How are we going to get home?"


	20. Epilogue

_I do not own Elfen Lied in anyway. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between this story and any others is purely a coincidence and unintended. Please submit reviews. Now...time for the final chapter._

* * *

**Elfen Lied: The Last Diclonius**

Epilogue

It was December in Japan, and a certain house in Kamakura that had once been a Japanese restaurant was packed tighter then a sardine can. The family that resided here was throwing a huge Christmas party, and had seen fit to invite has many guest and friends as could fit inside the house. The steady stream of people trafficing from one room to another made the house very difficult to traverse. But none of the guest really cared about how cramped it was. They were all far too busy having a great time; making merry conversation with friends, eating and drinking, laughing, and just having an all around good time. The house was nearly full with every person the family of the house had invited. Only one guest had yet to show up.

Naomi ran as fast as the icy side streets of Kamakura would permit her; which wasn't very fast at all. Her progress was slowed even greater by her famous homemade pound cake, sprinkled with confectionery sugar that she was carrying with both her hands. The snow had fallen on the city with suddenness, and to many it was a welcome surprise during this season. The snow provided many students with the day off, which they spent frolicking in the small mountains of white fluff, creating snowmen, snow angels, having snowball fights, and going sledding. But for Naomi, it was now proving nothing more then a giant white pain in the ass. She was late, and for her punctuality was something not to be taken lightly. She'd already woken up late and had to rush to get ready. And now the snow wasn't helping much. Normally she would have driven, but the snow had trapped her vehicle inside her driveway. So she power walked down the sidewalk, trying hard not to fall and to balance the cake inside its container so it would arrive at its destination as pretty as it looked when Naomi removed it from the oven. More then once she skidded on the snow and almost fell flat on her butt; but she was quick to regain some balance and keep her cake safe from harm.

She breathed a grievous sigh as she came to the long upward staircase she would have to climb. And just her luck, it too was covered in ice. With every step she moved as cautiously as if trying not to wake some sleeping beast. Holding one hand on the railing and using the other to hold the cake, the long climb was nothing short of mentally exhausting. Finally she reached the top, and after giving herself a mental pat on the back, she resumed her jog for the house. After another few minutes, she finally arrived at the gates of Kaede House. To her it looked much larger then necessary, but that was understandable considering the house used to be a restaurant. The place, with its roofs covered in snow, its whiteness reflecting the bright sun, looked homey. Like something you'd find on a holiday greeting card. Even from outside the gate, she could clearly hear the sounds of a large party coming from the inside. She opened the gate, and was immediately greeted by the house "gate keeper". The large Labrador looked up for a moment and then ran toward its guest, barking and leaping its front paws onto Naomi. She raised the cake high above her head in fear that the dog was after it. She moved from side to side trying to shake the dog, but the dog continued to cling to her. Fortunately, someone had been kind enough to clear the path of snow and ice. Soon, a brown haired girl who looked about 17 arrived at the door. She instantly came to Naomi's aid, pulling the dog off her by the collar.

"Bad boy Wanta," Mayu scolded, "You know you're not supposed to jump on people." She tied him to his dog house, which he calmly went inside and almost instantly fell asleep again.

"Thanks Mayu," Naomi said, giving a good hearted laugh. She never was much of a dog person, but something about Wanta's infectious nature was growing on her. Mayu gestured Naomi in and politely took her heavy coat, placing on the coat tree, which looked overweight with coats. She then took the cake from her and placed it inside the kitchen where the food was being served. The inside of the house was decorated with the usual Christmas colors of white, green, red, and gold. Reefs were placed on every wall, and the household had taken to decorate the garden cherry tree instead of using the traditional pine. The house was already filled with guest, all in cheerful conversation.

"Naomi!" Coming down the stairs was another girl who looked to be in her twenties. She had short pink hair, red pupils, and two small horns sticking out the side of her head. This might have seemed weird to some people, but if it did no one brought it up. The girl was just so polite and sweet, it would seem rude to do so. Besides, Naomi actually thought them kinda cute.

"Hey Nana," Naomi returned the greeting. Nana gave her a big holiday hug which lifted Naomi off the ground. After going back and forth with friendly conversation for a moment, Naomi asked Nana where she could find her sister and her husband.

Naomi had met Kohta by chance in their geology class at the university. They had been partnered up together to do a hazard assessment project and since Naomi lived in such a small apartment, both had agreed it'd be better for them to meet at his house to do the work. It was during one of these times that she met Lucy, Nana, and Mayu. They were all so friendly that Naomi found herself eagerly anticipating scheduled times for her and Kohta to do work at Kaede House; which was surprising since Naomi never liked doing school work before. And before Naomi knew it, she was coming over quite frequently; even when her and Kohta's project had been completed, which they got an A for.

"They should be here somewhere," Nana said, which Naomi knew was just a nice way of saying she didn't know. Naomi dismissed herself and began searching the household for Lucy and Kohta. Almost right away, she found them talking with some of their guests. In both their arms where two infant girls; each the spitting image of their parents. Lucy and Kohta noticed her, said their pardons to the guest and walked over to say hi to Naomi.

"Happy Christmas," said Lucy with her usual grin.

"Happy Christmas," Kohta added.

"Ditto," Naomi responded. She leaned in close to see the faces of the two baby girls. "And how are Yuka and Nyu today?" she said in an overly sweet voice. The two girls were about the cutest pair of twins you ever did see. Nyu was the exact image of Kohta, with the exception of her pink hair and two little horns. She was a very affectionate baby girl; and curious too. She loved to be held by others and getting her tiny little hands around anything she could reach.

Her sister Yuka was her complete opposite. Yuka looked exactly like her mother. The only difference was her brown hair, and unlike her sister, she didn't have any horns. Very well behaved, Yuka never went into fits of crying nearly as much as Nyu did. She never got into anything she wasn't supposed to, which meant her parents did have to worry about her nearly as much as Nyu. And even as a baby she seemed very respectful of others. She didn't, however, like to be held by strangers, and seemed to have preference for her father rather than her mother. In fact, Nyu was like that as well. Whenever this was brought up, both Lucy and Kohta would laugh it off, saying something along the lines as "she never changes" or "same old Nyu". No one really understood what they meant, so they just shrugged it off as an inside joke.

"I'm glad your here Naomi," Lucy said, "Could do us a favor and take a family picture for us?"

"Sure," Naomi agreed. They spent the next few minutes trying to round up Mayu and Nana among the waves of people that crowded the house. Watching them from behind, Naomi always felt happy whenever she was around Kohta and his family. She loved watching them and how fondly they all acted around one another and it seemed to radiate off them and infect anyone close by. It was clear that they had strong bonds of friendship, family, and love between them and she wished she had as good a relationship with her family as they did. Naomi always wondered what could have happened to make them all so close, and whenever she'd ask them they would just smile and say, "It's a long story." The only clue she had was that it had something to do with a guy named Tomo...or Toru, or something like that.

After finally finding them, they all headed upstairs to where no guests were. They came to a door on the far side of the landing that held a single door sign above it that read "Yuka". When Kohta opened the door, inside was a small shrine decorated with flowers; and in the middle of it all was a single photograph of a college age girl with short brown hair. Next to the photograph was small music box, its lid open to reveal a small pink sea shell inside. The music no longer played, as Kohta said it had broken sometime ago. Lucy handed Naomi the camera as the others gathered around the shrine. Kohta and Lucy stood on both ends of the shrine, each holding one of their children while Mayu and Nana kneeled below them.

"One...two...three...cheese!"

"CHEESE," they all said together. There was a white flash, and the gears turned inside as the instant camera spat out the picture. After thanking Naomi and looking at the picture, they all headed back down to the party. However Naomi stayed behind for a moment. She picked up the recent photograph that Kohta had placed by the girls' picture. Holding it gently in her fingers so as not to leave a finger print, she examined everyone's faces inside. Looking at their wide happy grins, Naomi felt kind of jealous. Living alone, she could help but fell envious of these people. Because when looking at the picture, she couldn't help but think that in all of Japan, or even the entire world for that matter, you couldn't find a more happier and perfect looking family.

* * *

_The darkness has lifted._

_The sun, now shines bright._

_Even the most bleakest of nights must one day give rise to a new dawn._

_For to find true happiness, we must let go of the shadows of our sorrows._

_And find that star the burns through._

_And love, is brighter then any sun._

The End


	21. Author's Notes

Dear Readers,

Well, it's finally over. It has taken me many months, many revisions, and countless hours, but the story of The Last Diclonius has reached its end. I have now completed my very first fan fiction. I am both happy to have completed my first fan fiction, and both sad to see it come to an end, wishing it could last forever. But then that wouldn't make for a good story would it? I feel now like I almost have a personal connection with all the characters of Elfen Lied and even Tomo. And looking back on it, I would like to think I have accomplished something. It may not be much, and it may not be like a regular novel or even as good; but I still think I have done something to be proud of. Before this story, I attempted many other fan fics, but would ultimately abandon them in the end for various reasons. But this time, I stuck with it till the end. And I have so many people I need to thank for that. Namely, all you readers you have stayed with me from start to finish. I stuck with it because you stuck with me.

So I'm taking this time to say thank you for your support and your kind words of praise. I can honestly say that part of the reason I completed this story is because of you guys. There were times when writing this I would get those usual feelings thinking I wasn't doing any good and felt like quitting. I have always been a little critical of myself in everything I do. But your reviews gave me the motivation I needed to continue on, even if I didn't think I was as good as other writers on this site. It made me want to finish this story if not for myself, then for you guys. You constantly pushed me to better my writing and give you the story you deserve. And for that I say thank you for taking time out of your daily lives to read my tale.

And there are some people I want to thank individually. First off, thank you Silent Watchman for your beta reading of my story. You were always honest with me in saying what you liked and didn't like, and I couldn't have asked for more. That really helped me not just make my writing better, but also in teaching me how to take constructive criticism and use it. This story could be as much attributed to him as to myself. Thank you to Francisco Devilman Warrior for his (or her) constant support. You were one of my most faithful readers and I always loved reading your reviews that always told me how much you hated Tomo and wanted to see justice done on him and how you wanted him to die in the most painful way. Looks like you finally got what you wanted. Thank you to BeowulfCaverias for always having kind things to say about my story. I could go on for hours like this, so here is a quick list of other people I'd like to thank personally:

AnimeWishes, AlexMontgomery, Anonymous Echo, Baka-No-Bakas, Detailed NiteMares, DragonMiztres, GothRideGrl14, JakeJ, KatBunny, KatonRyu, MYZ-Chan, Number 35, PlushyMaster, Rose of Demise, Rule Omegia, Savage63125, Shay-Monyou, Ezequielhl, Soul of Ashes, TuXey, Ujon, Wolf Girl Ayame, ameko200, fightingpacifist, randomnessgirl, rubberduck, sean81, shadow3031, xx.Lullaby.xx, Angel.of.Dawn, Destiny Forgotten, Dilla the Dude, Kei.Nobara, Korraganitar the NightShadow, KuroxTenshi, Morrow-kun, sephjnr, Andreax, Animemusicfreak4, Despicable Hero, Rocco103, Jovianwolfgirl, Black Shadowed Rose Yami Fan, IHaveNoLife-King, Ara222, RayRayOtega, Voughn, anima12, IVIaedhros, Loveless Minji-chan, and all the other anonymous readers. All of your opinions are very important and helpful to me.

All of you have made this one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. Whether you liked it or you hated it, I appreciate that you read it all the way. This story belongs as much to you guys and it does to me. To show my appreciation, I'm providing suggesting an Elfen Lied music video I found on YouTube thta I'd like you guys to watch. It's one of my favorites and to show my thanks, I'd like to share it with you. I'm sorry if you've already seen it, but this is almost all I can do to show you how much your support has meant to me these past few months. Consider it a tribute to Elfen Lied, my story, and more importantly, a tribute to every single one of you. So thank you for staying with me all this time. And to anyone who is reading this now, even months or maybe even years after I've finished, I thank you as well. Again, your support has meant more then you'll ever know. This may seem too sentimental to some, but this is how I feel. I still think its important to thank you guys for making this story the success that it has become. It's so hard to put into words what I'm actually feeling right now typing this message in regards to gratitude. So I'll simply end this by bowing my head to you, and just simply saying...thank you. I hope you liked it.

Your friend,

ElfenLied619

P.S. -- The YouTube video I wish to share is "It Ends Tonight" Elfen Lied by otonin7 and is on youtube.


End file.
